AUSTIN, Texas — Every time it looked like Regis University was going to pull away, the St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team had an answer, hanging on for the 69-68 victory on Saturday afternoon in the RAC at St. Edward's.
Freshman
Christin Callens (Houston) scored 10 of her game-high tying 19 points in the fourth quarter, giving the Rattlers (1-1) a boost every time it looked like the defending RMAC Champions were poised to make a run. She also led the game with eight rebounds. Callens was named to the All-Tournament team after the conclusion of the tournament.
StMU shot 77.8 percent in the fourth quarter, missing only two shots (7-9), while the defense withstood a flurry of shots by the Rangers (0-2) as they were 10-for-20 in the final stanza.
Senior
Stina Svilberg (Tallinn, Estonia) also provided a huge spark for the Rattlers, scoring 17 points – one off her career-high – aided by three three-pointers. The pair, along with freshman
Charli Graziano (Perth, Australia) combined to make all eight of their free throw attempts.
Sophomore
Andrea Montesinos (Valencia, Spain) tied for game-high honors with four assists, while she and freshman
Raynne Malik (London, Ontario, Canada) each had a blocked shot. Malik added nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.
The Rattlers once again emphasized working the ball inside, scoring 32 points in the paint, but the outside shot helped alleviate the pressure inside, as the team combined to hit nine triples – one off the most made in the
Valerie Huizar era.
The two teams fought through eight ties and seven lead changes in the game and the Rattlers held the lead for 32:07 of the 40 minutes.
St. Mary's remains on the road, traveling to the newest team in the Lone Star Conference, Sul Ross State, for a non-conference battle on Friday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. They will then face UT Dallas – the next team entering the league – on Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m.
