Hilltoppers break out of funk, blitz Huston-Tillotson, 85-60
AUSTIN, Texas - St. Edward's junior Sophia Holguin registered her first double-double of the season with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hilltoppers to an 85-60 defeat over cross-town foe Huston-Tillotson Wednesday evening at the Recreation and Convocation Center. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for St. Edward's.
St. Edward's (4-5) jumped out to an early 8-3 advantage at the 16:08 mark of the first half. Junior Sophia Holguin led the way with four points and she assisted on another.
Huston-Tillotson (0-9) rallied with a 10-4 run over the next five minutes to retake the lead, 13-12, with 11:19 remaining in the opening frame. Ashley Bell had six points during the stretch and the Hilltoppers had four turnovers.
From there, the Hilltoppers took control, outscoring the Lady Rams, 17-6 over the next seven minutes to push its lead to 29-19, with 4:19 remaining. Junior Nicole Etheridge came off of the bench to nail three shots from behind the arc.
St. Edward's coasted the rest of the first half to take a 44-31 lead into the break. The Hilltoppers dished out 15 assists on only 17 made baskets in the first half. Holguin had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists, leading the Hilltoppers to 59 percent shooting from the floor.
In the second half, St. Edward's pushed its lead to as many as 31 points and they blistered the nets with a 63 percent effort from the field.
Holguin was 7-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Junior Kelli Payton had 13 points, Etheridge had 12 points and junior Marissa Rauss chipped in with 10 points. Senior Jasmine Parr led all players with eight assists and Holguin added five of her own.
Brittney Jones led the way for Huston-Tillotson with 15 points, while Shaneka Mason ahd a nice all-around game with nine points, five assists, and four steals.
St. Edward's outrebounded the Lady Rams, 48-25, and dished out a season-high 21 assists. However the Hilltoppers trouble with taking care of the ball continued as they had 28 turnovers.
St. Edward's will be back in action Dec. 19-20 when they host the St. Edward's Christmas Classic at the Recreation and Convocation Center. The Hilltoppers will take on Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday at 3:30 p.m. They will then take on #13 Central Oklahoma on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Check the St. Edward's Athletic Website to follow the live action.