Women's Basketball Bounces Back With Five-Point Win Over Bison

SAN ANTONIO — A balanced inside-out attack by the St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team helped lift them to a 64-59 win over Oklahoma Baptist in the final game of the StMU Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday evening.
 
The Rattlers (4-2) scored 34 of their 64 points in the paint but kicked the ball outside to drain six three-pointers, and the final 12 points came at the free throw line. The Bison (4-2)  did the majority of their damage at the three-point line, hitting 12 triples with only 11 baskets inside the arc, and the team made its only free throw attempt.
 
Oklahoma Baptist broke the StMU Thanksgiving Classic record for three-point attempts in a game, taking 41 on the afternoon. They break the previous mark of 37 by Kutztown from Nov. 24, 2018 in a 55-45 loss to the Rattlers. It is also the third-highest total by any opponent in St. Mary's history, trailing only Oklahoma Panhandle State twice in 2012 (50 on Jan. 12; 46 on Feb. 11).
 
Freshman Christin Callens (Houston) led the Rattlers and tied for game-high honors with 13 points, while junior Imani Ivery (Houston) continued to add a big spark off the bench with 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Junior Quezia Bertoni (São Paulo, Brazil) scored in double figures for the first time in the Gold and Blue, adding 10 points on a perfect 3-for-3 night from the floor.
 
Callens also grabbed eight rebounds, helping the Rattlers win the battle of the boards, 40-to-30. Freshman Daniela Ciscar (Valencia, Spain) tied her career-high in rebounds with five and scored a career-best seven points. She also led the team with two steals and chipped in two assists on a solid night off the bench. Fellow Spaniard Andrea Montesinos (Valencia) led the team with three assists and contributed nine points.
 
StMU started hot, jumping out to an 11-3 lead with 6:26 to play in the first quarter. The Bison went on a six-point run to cut into the lead, but the Rattlers hung on for the 18-14 advantage at the break. OBU outscored StMU 15-11 in the second quarter on the strength of four three-pointers, and the teams went to the locker room tied at 29-29.
 
The teams went back-and-forth through the first part of the third quarter until the Rattlers closed the period on a 7-0 scoring run with three points by Ivery and two each by Callens and Ciscar for the 50-45 lead, and they never trailed again. Each team totaled 14 points in the final stanza for the 64-59 final.
 
The Rattlers close out the non-conference schedule with a 4-2 record and turn their attention to the always-tough Lone Star Conference slate. St. Mary's welcomes Western New Mexico on Thursday for Alumni Night and closes out the week with LSC newcomer Sul Ross State on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Mustangs are 0-4 on the year and haven't played since Nov. 23 in an 83-65 loss at Sul Ross State in the LSC opener for both clubs. The Lobos are 2-1 and play at McMurry and St. Edward's before squaring off against the Rattlers.