SAN ANTONIO — For the fourth straight game, the St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team won in intense, close fashion, defeating Washburn 53-49 in overtime on the first night of the StMU Thanksgiving Classic to remain undefeated at 4-0.
In her first game back after suffering a knee injury on Feb. 6, 2025, senior guard
Quezia Bertoni (Sao Paulo, Brazil) put on a clinic, making all three of her shots from the floor – including a pair of three-pointers – and sank all four free throws in 13 minutes of play. Bertoni also dished out a game-high three assists for a +/- ranking of 22, more than four times more than any other player on the floor.
Fellow senior guard
Imani Ivery (Houston) tied for team-high honors with 12 points, joining Bertoni with a 2-for-2 night at the arc. Sophomore forward
Christin Callens (Houston) added 10 points and sophomore forward
Raynne Malik (London, Ontario) grabbed a game-high seven rebounds, all on the defensive end of the court. She added two steals and three blocked shots as the Rattlers swatted seven in the contest.
Malik tied the StMU Thanksgiving Classic single-game record with her three blocked shots. It is the seventh time it's happened in the 11-year history of the tournament, and she is the second player to do so twice, joining Lubbock Christian's Emma Middleton (2018-2019).
Senior guard
Aina Maynou (Cabrera de Mar, Spain) tied for game-high honors with three steals, and she chipped in five boards.
Payton Sterk led the game with 21 points for the Ichabods (3-2), and tied for game-high honors with her three steals. She was the only Washburn player in double figures in scoring.
The contest featured 10 ties and seven lead changes, with the biggest lead change coming at 1:35 in overtime when Bertoni nailed a pair of free throws for the two-point lead, 49-47. Callens hit a pull up jumper on the ensuing Rattlers' possession after junior
Allie Garcia (Adelaide, South Australia) brought down the defensive rebound, and Bertoni iced the game with two more free throws with 27 ticks remaining for the win.
It is the third game to go overtime at the StMU Thanksgiving Classic, and the first since No. 1 Lubbock Christian defeated #RV Central Oklahoma, 68-63, on Nov. 30, 2019. The Rattlers upset top-ranked Central Missouri 101-97 in double overtime on Nov. 23, 2018, in the other extra period contest.
The 4-0 start for StMU is the first since the 2001-02 team won its first four en route to a 26-3 record and a 10-0 mark in the Heartland Conference. The record for consecutive wins to start a season is six by the 1997-98 team.
In the first game of the tournament, Oklahoma Baptist defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville 68-49. The teams will swap opponents for day two, as the Javelinas and Ichabods square off at 2 p.m., while the Bison take on the Rattlers at 4 p.m. in the tournament finale.
