LAWTON, Okla. — Needing a win to secure a spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, the St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team took care of business in its final regular season game of the year, defeating Cameron 64-62 on Saturday afternoon.
Though the game was close throughout, the Rattlers (16-10, 11-9) led for over 31 of the 40 minutes in securing the first bid to the LSC Championship in Head Coach
Valerie Huizar's career, and the first since the team's first year in the league (2019-20).
Senior
Quezia Bertoni (Sao Paulo, Brazil) led the game with 15 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the free throw line. Sophomore
Raynne Malik (London, Ontario) added 12 points and led the game with eight rebounds. Malik made all four of her free throw attempts in the final quarter and was 5-for-6 on the day, redeeming herself after a tough night at the line on Thursday. Senior
Aina Maynou (Cabrera de Mar, Spain) also scored in double digits, adding 11, and she tied for game-high honors with four assists and two steals.
Cameron struck first in the opening quarter, as Mercedes Mancha converted a layup to put the Aggies on the board. St. Mary's answered immediately behind Malik, who matched with a layup of her own before adding a three-pointer and a jumper to spark the Rattlers' early offense. Bertoni knocked down a three-pointer, and
Lena Newby (Cibolo, Texas) added a late jumper to keep the momentum rolling.
Peyton Stellato (Fort Worth, Texas) capped the quarter with a jumper with 33 seconds remaining, helping St. Mary's secure a 16-13 lead after one.
The Rattlers built on that edge in the second quarter, outscoring Cameron 17-14.
Brianna Vargas (El Paso, Texas) and Maynou each buried key three-pointers, with Vargas' triple at the 5:52 mark putting St. Mary's back in front, 19-18.
Christin Callens (Houston) provided a steady presence down the stretch, finishing a layup and converting a free throw to extend the advantage to 30-24 with 1:22 left in the half. Despite a late push from the Aggies, Maynou drilled another three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining to send the Rattlers into halftime with a 33-27 cushion.
The third quarter featured back-and-forth scoring, with neither side able to create significant separation.
Allie Garcia (Adelaide, South Australia) opened the half with a three-pointer at 9:04 to stretch the lead to 36-27. Maynou continued her strong performance, scoring on a layup, adding a free throw, and assisting on a Vargas three-pointer at 1:53 that made it 48-44.
Cameron responded behind Aminata Diallo and Emmary Elizondo, as Diallo's layup trimmed the margin to 48-46 late in the period. But
Imani Ivery (Houston) delivered a pivotal moment for St. Mary's, sinking a three-pointer with six seconds left to push the Rattlers' advantage to 51-46 heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth, St. Mary's protected a narrow lead in a tightly contested finish. Bertoni came up big with back-to-back three-pointers, including a clutch shot at the 1:28 mark that extended the lead to 63-57. Cameron refused to go away, with Elizondo converting a layup with 17 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to a single point, 63-62. Garcia calmly stepped to the line in the closing seconds and knocked down a free throw to seal the 64-62 victory. Although the Aggies outscored the Rattlers 16-13 in the fourth quarter, St. Mary's early advantage proved just enough to secure the win.
The Rattlers will begin postseason play on March 6 with the quarterfinals of the Lone Star Tournament. The Rattlers earned the No. 7 seed and will face second-seeded West Texas A&M.
