Malik's Block Party Leads to Second-Straight Road Win for WBB

EDMOND, Okla. — The St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team led for all but 37 seconds in snapping a six-game losing skid to Oklahoma Christian, winning 59-51 on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Rattlers (9-7, 5-5) used a balanced scoring attack as five players scored seven or more in the near wire-to-wire win. Freshman Raynne Malik (London, Ontario) recorded her second-straight double-double and her third in five games with 15 points and 10 rebounds. She also added a career-best five blocked shots, tying for the ninth-most in StMU single game history.
 
Junior Imani Ivery (Houston) scored 14, with 10 of hers coming in the first half, while sophomore Andrea Montesinos (Valencia, Spain) added nine, freshman Christin Callens (Houston) scored eight and grabbed eight boards, and junior Brooke Kleinig (Adelaide, Australia) chipped in seven points. Montesinos led the team with four assists, while Callens added a pair of steals. 
 
Neither team was able to crash the offensive glass, as each team collected five, but the Rattlers dominated on the defensive end of the floor, grabbing 31 compared to 19 for the Eagles.
 
The Rattlers swept a road trip in LSC action for the first time since their inaugural year in the league, winning 56-51 on Thursday at Cameron and 59-51 at OC on Saturday.
 
The first quarter was a game of two runs as the Rattlers scored 13 straight for a 13-2 advantage, but the Eagles answered with a 10-point run of their own to close within one, 13-12. A pull-up mid-range jumper by Ivery stretched the lead back to three, and Louis followed with a triple in the corner for the 18-12 advantage.
 
The second quarter saw much of the same: the Rattlers scored the first nine points for a 14-point run and the 27-12 lead. The teams traded buckets through the final three minutes for the 32-21 halftime score. Ivery led the half with 10 points, while both Callens and Malik had five boards each. 
 
StMU struggled with offense at the beginning of the third quarter but closed on a 6-0 run over the final 2:43 to lead 40-30. Malik added five rebounds in the 10-minute period to bring her to double digits with 10.
 
Both teams picked up the pace offensively in the final stanza, as the Eagles outscored the Rattlers 21-to-19, but Malik delivered a big blow with 1:47 to play, hitting a hook shot as the shot clock expired to stretch the lead to five, 56-51. Montesinos made three of four from the free throw line in the final 48 seconds to ice the game.
 
The Rattlers finally return home to Bill Greehey Arena, hosting Angelo State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and UT-Permian Basin on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Rambelles lost 80-63 at Lubbock Christian on Saturday, while the Falcons dropped a 62-57 decision to Midwestern State.