Second Quarter Proves Costly in Tough Battle with #16 TWU

SAN ANTONIO — Once again, the second quarter proved costly for the St. Mary's Women's Basketball team as they played even with the #16 Texas Woman's Pioneers in the other three periods, falling 76-63 on Thursday evening.
 
Despite playing limited minutes due to foul trouble, freshman Taylor Haggan (Parker, Texas) scored a team-high 20 points and led the team with six rebounds – all in the first half. Fellow freshman Vani Sancho (Baton Rouge, La.) tied her career high for the second-straight game with 13 points, doing most of the damage at the free throw line where she was 7-for-8.
 
The Rattlers (2-11, 2-5 Lone Star) also saw senior Teanna Huggins (San Antonio) pout in 11 points, grab five rebounds and lead the team with five assists and three steals.
 
The Pioneers (12-1, 6-1 Lone Star) outscored the Rattlers by 11, 25-16, in the second stanza. TWU was also solid at the free throw line, making 19 of 26 attempts, led by Ashley Ingram, who was a perfect 13-for-13.
 
At halftime, Haggan was tied for the lead in both scoring and rebounding in the game as she had 12 points and six rebounds. She also had the only blocked shot in the game. The first 20 minutes featured five ties and seven lead changes, and each team led for just over eight-and-a-half minutes.
 
Ingram led the game with 21 points for TWU, while Leila Patel added 18 and Avereee Kleinhans scored 12. The trio also accounted for nine of the team's 14 assists.
 
St. Mary's remains at home, hosting UT Tyler on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Patriots defeated St. Edward's 63-51 on Thursday evening and are receiving votes in this week's WBCA poll.
 
 
News & Notes:

• Taylor Haggan topped the 20-point milestone for the fourth time this season. She now ranks third all-time among freshman all-time at St. Mary's. Erin Griffin did so seven times in 2000-01, while Soteria Banks accomplished the feat five times in 2017-18.
• Vani Sancho scored in double figures for the third time in the last five games and tied her career-high for the second-straight contest. It is the first time she's hit double figures without making a three-pointer in a game, but she was 7-for-8 at the charity stripe.
• Teanna Huggins led the team with five assists. It is the fifth time this year she's dropped at least five dimes in a contest. Huggins also connected on her first three-pointer of the season and she's now 1-for-3 from the arc.
• St. Mary's out-rebounded Texas Woman's 37-to-31. The Rattlers also grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, compared to just six for the Pioneers.
• The 17 made free throws by the Rattlers is the second-highest total this season and the most since the season opener at Colorado School of Mines on Nov. 10.