Women's Hoops Hosts Pair of Nationally-Ranked Squads

This Week in Rattlers Basketball
#7 UT Tyler • Thursday, February 6 • 5:30 p.m.
#7 UT Tyler (19-2, 14-1)
Head Coach: Rebecca Alvidrez (92-28) 
at St. Mary's (11-9, 7-7)
Head Coach: Valerie Huizar (66-72)
Broadcast: FloCollege • Play-by-Play: Rob Shadow

#2 Texas Woman's • Saturday, February 8 • 1 p.m.
#2 Texas Woman's (21-1, 14-1)
Head Coach: Beth Jillson (293-209)
at St. Mary's (11-9, 7-7)
Head Coach: Valerie Huizar (66-72)
Broadcast: FloCollege • Play-by-Play: Dan Hawkins

 

Home Sweet Home: After playing two extremely tight contests in the first meetings, the St. Mary's Women's Basketball team welcomes a pair of nationally-ranked teams to Bill Greehey Arena in #7 UT Tyler on Thursday evening and #2 Texas Woman's on Saturday. The Rattlers are coming off a split on the road last week, posting a 23-point victory at Texas A&M International on Thursday and dropping a nine-point game at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.

Series History with UT Tyler: The Patriots took the lead in the all-time series against St. Mary's with a 37-31 donnybrook back on Jan. 11 that set both school's records for lowest combined scoring. UT Tyler now leads 5-4 in the series that began when both teams joined the Lone Star Conference. The Patriots have won three straight overall, the last win for the Rattlers coming on Feb. 2, 2023.

Scouting the Patriots: UT Tyler sports a 19-2 overall record and is one of three teams in the Lone Star Conference standing at 14-1 in league play. Meagan Mendazona is the only Patriot to average double figures in scoring with 14.5 per game, while Lovisa Hevinder averages 5.6 rebounds per contest. Ella Bradley ranks second in the LSC with 2.10 steals and a 2.03 assist-to-turnover ratio.

In the First Meeting (UTT): The cold weather from outside seemed to blow through the Louis Herrington Patriot Center, keeping the shooting cold for both teams as UT Tyler held on for a 37-31 win. Both teams shot below 30 percent for the game, aided by the tough defense from both sides, and almost half of the 68 points in the game were scored in the third quarter as each team poured in 16. Imani Ivery connected on four three-pointers, leading all players with 14 points, while Christin Callens grabbed a game- and career-high 10 rebounds.

Series History with Texas Woman's: The Pioneers hold a 15-12 lead in the all-time series against St. Mary's and have won seven straight. The Rattlers have dropped two straight at home to TWU, last winning 65-56 in 2020. The series started back in 1992 with a Rattlers 52-50 win at UIW, as 10 of the 27 games have been on a neutral court.

Scouting the Pioneers: Texas Woman's is also 14-1 in Lone Star Conference play and is 21-1 overall. Ashley Ingram leads the Pioneers with 14.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. She also ranks third in the league in assists (3.9), is sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18) and has eight double-doubles to rank 28th nationally.  

In the First Meeting (TWU): St. Mary's came closer than most teams against No. 2 Texas Woman's, dropping a 49-40 decision at Kitty Magee Arena. The Pioneers had won six straight by over 10 points, and the Rattlers became just the third team to come within double figures of beating the veteran team. Raynne Malik was a big reason for the push, as she recorded a career-high 15 rebounds, including 12 on the defensive end of the floor to limit TWU's opportunities. Brooke Kleinig provided a big spark off the bench, recording a team-high four steals, including two off the inbounds pass in the second half that translated to easy layups for the Rattlers. Imani Ivery and Stina Svilberg tied for team-high honors, scoring eight each, while both Christin Callens and Quezia Bertoni chipped in seven each. Bertoni also led the game with five assists. 

Have Yourself a Day: Freshman forward Lena Newby entered last week with 19 points through the first 16 games, averaging 1.2 per contest. At Texas A&M International on Thursday, Newby exploded for 25 points, hitting 9-of-11 from inside the arc and 7-for-8 at the free throw line. She also grabbed a career-high eight rebounds and tied her career-high with three blocked shots. Her points are the most in a game since Hannah Wilson scored 28 against West Texas A&M on Feb. 21, 2022.

Battle of the Boards: At Texas A&M International on Thursday the Rattlers won the rebounding battle, 49-to-14. The +35 rebound margin is the largest of the season and the 14 rebounds are the fewest for any opponent in the Division II era (2000). The previous low was 18 by UT Permian Basin on March 5, 2010. 

It's An Honor: For the first time this season, a St. Mary's player earned Lone Star Conference Player of the Week honors as freshman forward Raynne Malik snagged the Defensive honors on Jan. 20. Malik posted a pair of double-doubles with 15 points and 10 rebounds in each of the wins over Cameron and Oklahoma Christian. She also swatted nine shots, blocking four against the Aggies and a career-best five over the Eagles. Malik also shot 70.6 percent from the field, missing only one shot inside the arc (11-12).

Now Appearing: Freshman Raynne Malik has blocked 39 shots this season, placing her ninth on the St. Mary's single-season records, passing Hannah Wilson, who swatted 37 as a junior in 2019-20. The Rattlers record for blocked shots by a freshman is 62 by Teri Mollett in 1979-80, which also ranks second all-time. Malik's 39 blocks are the freshman record in the school's Division II era (since 1999-00).

Rattler Numbers to Watch

• Freshman Christin Callens recorded her fourth 20-point game at Texas A&M-Kingsville and now has 261 points this season. She is the ninth freshman in St. Mary's Division II history (2000-current) to score 200 in a year and she currently ranks eighth on the freshman list with 261 points, needing 10 more to tie Morgan Pullins (2011-12) for seventh.

• St. Mary's is a perfect 11-0 this season when shooting 40 percent or better for the game and 0-9 when connecting on less than 40 percent. 

• The Rattlers rank third in the Lone Star Conference statistics in rebound margin at +7.0, which ranks 29th in all of Division II. 

• Raynne Malik currently leads the Lone Star and ranks 18th nationally with 2.05 blocks per game. Christin Callens ranks fifth in the LSC in field goal percentage, shooting 47.6 percent per night.