Lady Rattlers Hit 11 Three-Pointers as St. Mary's Defeats Eastern New Mexico University, 83-58

SAN ANTONIO, TX – St. Mary’s University (Texas) connected on 11 of 17 three-pointers, and the Lady Rattlers defeated Eastern New Mexico University on the second day of the University of the Incarnate Word Classic, Saturday, Dec. 7, in San Antonio, Texas. St. Mary’s, which defeated Wayland Baptist, 69-53, on Friday, finished the tournament 2-0 and improved to 6-2 overall. ENMU, which lost to Incarnate Word, 55-51, on Friday, fell to 2-4 on the season.

Sophomore guard Nicole Brantley led the three-point charge by St. Mary’s, as she hit 4 of 6 three-point shots and finished the game with 14 points. Erin Griffin, a junior post for the Lady Rattlers, led all players with 29 points, and was 2 of 2 on three-point attempts. St. Mary’s also received 17 points from senior post Martha Rinker, who sank 8 of 11 field goals. Meosha Nash, a senior guard, scored 9 points and was 3 of 5 from behind the three-point arc.

Juliana Morrison (Jr., F, Amarillo, TX/Palo Duro HS) was Eastern’s top scorer. She provided the Zias with 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting, including 2 of 4 three-pointers. The rest of the Zias converted just 1 of 7 three-pointers as ENMU finished the game 3 for 11. Junior post Jereena Bosket (Las Vegas, NV/Barstow CC) joined Morrison in double figures by scoring 10 points on 3 of 4 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws. Tia Doss (Albuquerque, NM/Highland HS), a sophomore post, contributed 9 points and was 4 of 6 on field goals.

St. Mary’s held a 14-7 lead at the 15:02 mark of the first half, but the Zias went on a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to 15-13. The Lady Rattlers countered with an 8-0 run that concluded with back-to-back three-pointers by Brantley and Griffin for a 23-13 edge. St. Mary’s, which converted 6 of 9 three-point shots in the first half, led 43-32 at the break.

ENMU still trailed by 11 points, 47-36, with 16:20 remaining in the game, before St. Mary’s scored 11 unanswered points - nine on two three-pointers by Nash and one three-pointer by Brantley - for a 58-36 lead and control of the game. The Lady Rattlers hit 5 of 8 three-point shots during the second half.

The Zias outrebounded the Lady Rattlers, 27-22, and committed just 14 turnovers compared to 22 turnovers by St. Mary’s. Even so, the Zias couldn’t offset St. Mary’s shooting from the floor which included 34 of 56 field goals (64.7%) and the 11 of 17 three-point attempts (60.7%). Eastern shot 38.9% overall (21 of 54), after making 12 of 24 shots (50.0%) in the first half. The Zias were just 9 of 30 (30.0%) over the final 20 minutes.

The game was Eastern’s final contest prior to the Holiday Break. The Zias will return to action on Monday, Dec. 30, when they host Lubbock Christian University. Tipoff at Greyhound Arena is scheduled for 1 p.m. (MST).