Women's Basketball Forces Extra Five Minutes

SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team outscored Oklahoma Christian 21-to-10 in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but the Eagles (8-14, 5-13) managed to outscore the Rattlers (11-12, 7-10) 12-to-9 in the final five minutes for the 74-71 win.
 
Freshman Christin Callens (Houston) and senior Stina Svilberg (Tallinn, Estonia) were a big reason for the comeback as the pair combined to score 19 of the team's 21 points, and Callens grabbed five rebounds on offense and six overall.
 
Callens ended the game with a career-high 31 points and her first double-double with a career-high 11 rebounds, while Svilberg scored in double figures for the first time since Dec. 7 against Sul Ross State.
 
Callens' 31 points are the most by a Rattler this season and tied for the 11th most in single-game history at St. Mary's. They are also the most in a game since Hannah Wilson scored 37 against Minnesota State on Nov. 27, 2021.
 
Freshman Raynne Malik (London, Ontario) brought down eight rebounds and blocked four shots, giving her 47 on the season to move her into sole possession of fifth place on the school's single-season list.
 
The teams were knotted at 14-14 after the first quarter of action. OC closed the second quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 32-26 lead into the locker room. Callens led the Rattlers with 10 points, while she and Malik each had four rebounds.
 
The Eagles outscored the Rattlers 20-to-15 in the third stanza. After an Eagle basket to begin the fourth quarter, Callens went on an 8-0 scoring run and scored 10 of the 11 on an 11-0 run for StMU to cut the deficit to two, 54-52 with 5:24 to play. The teams went back-and-forth over the final five minutes, with Callens making the game's final shot on a layup with 1:41 left.
 
Ciara Harris took over in the extra period for the Eagles, scoring seven of the team's 12 points. She ended the night with 23 points, while Nakia Cullom scored 15, Jordan Francisco added 14 and Kate Bradley chipped in 11 as the OC starters scored 66 of their 74 points.
 
The Rattlers close out the four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon, hosting Cameron at 1 p.m. The Aggies defeated St. Edward's 79-65 on Thursday evening.