SAN ANTONIO — For the fifth-straight meeting, the Battle of the Saints came down to a single possession, but unfortunately for the St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team, they ended on the short end of the scoreboard, falling 42-41 in the final home game of the season.
Senior
Aina Maynou (Cabrera de Mar, Spain) hit a shot at the buzzer, but her foot was over the line for only two points. The two teams went back and forth throughout the night with nine lead changes and six ties, and neither team was able to get bigger than a six-point advantage.
Both teams struggled shooting early in the 100th meeting in the rivalry, as the Rattlers (15-10, 10-9) shot only 27.3 percent in the first quarter and the Hilltoppers (15-13, 9-11) connected on only 12.5 percent, but the squads settled in after the first 10 minutes. StMU ended the game shooting 31.8 percent from the floor, while SEU hit 27.8 percent. The Rattlers' defense held the 'Toppers to only one three-pointer (1-for-13).
Sophomore forward
Raynne Malik (London, Ontario) led the game with 13 points, drawing 10 fouls in the contest, and she grabbed a game-best nine rebounds. She was the only Rattler in double figures in scoring, though junior guard
Allie Garcia (Adelaide, South Australia) scored nine on a pair of three-pointers.
Maynou and senior
Quezia Bertoni (Sao Paulo, Brazil) each dished out three assists in their final game in Bill Greehey Arena, as the Rattlers had 10 assists on 14 made baskets, and
Andrea Montesinos (Valencia, Spain) had two of the team's six steals.
St. Edward's was led by Jae'La Hicks with 12 points, and she and Mikah Chapman each had seven rebounds.
UT Permian Basin, St. Mary's and Texas A&M International, battling for the final two spots in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, all lost on Thursday, leaving the tournament up in the air until the final day. A win by the Rattlers at Cameron, or a loss by the Dustdevils at UT Tyler on Saturday, will give the Rattlers a spot.
