EDMOND, Okla. — Hot shooting and stellar defense helped the St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team snap a four-game losing skid with a lopsided 66-43 victory on Friday afternoon at Oklahoma Christian.
The Rattlers (10-6, 5-6 LSC) jumped out to a 19-8 lead after the first quarter, ending the period with an exclamation point as senior
Aina Maynou (Cabrera de Mar, Spain) hit another buzzer-beater, draining a long three-pointer. The team shot 53.8 percent (7-of-13) for the period, and held the Eagles (7-11, 3-8 LSC) to just 3-for-10.
Maynou opened the second quarter with another triple, and she ended the day with nine points, hitting another from beyond the arc in the third stanza. The Rattlers continued to shoot well, connecting on 50 percent (7-of-14) in the second quarter and 58.3 percent in the third period (7-of-12), including draining 5-of-9 from the three-point line to push the lead after 30 minutes to 26 points, 57-31.
The fourth quarter cooled off a bit, as bench players accounted for most of the minutes.
Junior
Allie Garcia (Adelaide, South Australia) led the team with 13 points, while sophomore
Christin Callens (Houston) added 10 – all in the first half. Sophomore
Raynne Malik (London, Ontario) tied for game-high honors with her 10 rebounds, and she added a pair of blocked shots.
Sophomore
Lena Newby (Cibolo, Texas) blocked a career-high four shots, grabbing six rebounds with five points in 18 minutes. Twelve of the 13 players who saw action scored at least two points, and 11 of the 13 dished out at least one assist, and the Rattlers totaled 18 assists on 25 baskets. The Gold and Blue also won the battle of the boards, 40-to-24.
It is the sixth time this season that the Rattlers' bench has scored 25 or more points in a game, as they notched 25.
Elikya Baseyila led the Eagles with 12 points, while Taylor Jackson led the team with 10 rebounds, and she and Ahniya Melton each had three steals.
The Rattlers have a quick turnaround, as they will play at Cameron on Friday at 3 p.m., a game that was rescheduled due to the threat of winter weather. The Aggies dropped a close 60-56 decision to St. Edward's on Thursday.
