Defense Key in Win Over Rattlers
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's (Tex.) (8-13) | 21 | 26 | 47 |
| Northeastern St. (17-1) | 22 | 32 | 54 |
| Tahlequah, OK | |||
| St. Mary's (Tex.) | Northeastern St. |
|---|---|
| Pts: DeAnna Patterson - 18 | Pts: Taylor Lewis - 20 |
| Reb: 2 Players (#41, #42 - 8) | Reb: 2 Players (#24, #TM - 6) |
| Ast: Liz Boyd - 4 | Ast: Megan Fraley - 3 |
| Team Statistics | St. Mary's (Tex.) | Northeastern St. |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 32.7% (16-49 ) | 35.2% (19-54 ) |
| Rebounds | 40 | 32 |
| Assists | 12 | 18 |
| Turnovers | 19 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 10 | 22 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 10 | 6 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 12 | 13 |
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. --- On a day when offense came at a premium, it was Northeastern State's defense that carried the team to its 17th win in 18 starts.
The No. 8 RiverHawks held St. Mary's (TX) to less than 33 percent shooting for a 54-47 win at Dobbins Field House. It also ran the team's winning streak to 11 games, but it didn't come easily.
With the game on the line and NSU (17-1) needing to find an offensive spark, junior guard Taylor Lewis stepped up to rally the squad. Trailing by six early in the second half, Jasmine Wright hit back-to-back layups for the RiverHawks and Tosha Tyler's conventional 3-point play put Northeastern State ahead 34-33 with 9:12 to go.
Following a basket from STMU's Amber Sophus that knotted the game at 35-all, Lewis scored nine of NSU's next 14 points to spur a 14-0 run to give the team an insurmountable 49-35 cushion with 4:08 to go.
However, St. Mary's (8-13) wasn't ready to fold as DeAnna Patterson connected on back-to-back treys to pull the Rattlers back within 49-41 less than a minute later. STMU went on to whittle its deficit to as close as five, 52-47, before Lewis dropped in a pair of free throws with :16 remaining to seal the victory.
Lewis finished with a game-high 20 points, 11 of those coming in the second half. Tyler came off the bench to add 13 and Wright chipped in 11. Carrington Fox, in a reserve role, had three blcoks and Megan Fraley dished out three assists.
Patterson paced the Rattlers with 18 and Bria Bell poured through 10. Jackie Edwards, who had 21 in the first meeting between the two schools, was limited to four on 1-of-8 shooting.
Northeastern State will be idle until this Saturday when it plays the second of a four-game series against rival Central Oklahoma. Tipoff at Hamilton Fieldhouse in Edmond is slated for 2 p.m.
That begins a rugged four-game road swing where NSU will play at Northwest Missouri State (Feb. 1), at No. 20 Emporia State (Feb. 4) and at Southwestern Oklahoma (Feb. 6). The RiverHawks won't play at home again until Feb. 11 when they entertain UCO that afternoon.
