SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team used a balanced attack and a tough perimeter defense to knock off the No. 7 team in the nation in Lubbock Christian on Sunday afternoon, 66-64.
The win for the Rattlers is the first over a nationally-ranked team since they beat #21 Angelo State, 70-64, on Dec. 8, 2018. It snaps a 23-game losing streak to teams appearing inside the top 25 of the WBCA poll. The loss is the first for the Lady Chaps (13-2, 5-1) in Lone Star Conference play this season.
The Rattlers (9-2, 4-1 LSC) allowed only one three-pointer by the top-distance shooting team in the LSC (39.7%), as they were 1-for-9 (11.1%) on the day. On the flip side, the Rattlers sank nine triples, one off their season high, and shot 34.6% from the arc, well above their season-average of 29%. St. Mary's also shot a season-best 50% from the floor (25-for-50).
Senior
Quezia Bertoni (Sao Paulo, Brazil) led the Rattlers with 18 points, one off her career-high of 19, hitting all five of her shots in the first half. Sophomore
Christin Callens (Houston) was right behind Bertoni with 16 points, scoring 13 of them in the second half, while senior
Aina Maynou (Cabrera de Mar, Spain) chipped in 10 points.
Junior guard
Allie Garcia (Adelaide, South Australia) grabbed a career-high six rebounds to lead the Gold & Blue in that category, as well as with three assists.
The game featured 18 lead changes and 10 ties, and neither team led by more than six points throughout. The Rattlers scored 13 points off LCU turnovers, while the Lady Chaps outscored StMU in the paint, 44-to-30, and had a slight edge in the rebounds, 26-to-24.
Kennedy Chappell led the Lady Chaps with 23 points, while she and Meg Meekins each had four assists, and Martie McCoy led the game with eight rebounds. The trio scored 48 of the team's 64 points on the afternoon.
Both teams took care of the ball, combining for only 21 turnovers over 40 minutes, and there were 13 fouls whistled on each team.
The Rattlers head out on the road for a short week, playing at Eastern New Mexico on Thursday evening before taking on No. 8 West Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon in Canyon. The Greyhounds defeated rival Western New Mexico 98-58 on Sunday, while the Lady Buffs beat Sul Ross State, 93-63.
