DALLAS, Texas – St. Thomas women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to host Paul Quinn College Friday, 56-55, in Red River Athletic Conference play.
UST's Zariah McInnis (SO/Richmond, TX) scored in the paint with 3:40 to play to give the Celts (7-8, 4-4 RRAC) a six-point lead. Paul Quinn (12-6, 5-3) pulled within one following a three-point basket by Alexus Scharkley and two free throws by Essynce Templeton – the latter with 1:54 to go.
After Te'Ana Washington scored in the paint with 51 seconds to go to give the Tigers a one-point lead, UST had four chances to win it, but couldn't capitalize.
The Celts led by as many as 12 with 8:21 to play in the third quarter. In fact, St. Thomas led or sat tied on three occasions for all but 51 seconds in this one. It wasn't until Washington's basket in the last minute the Tigers gained control.
Sheridan Hopkins (JR/Galveston, TX) scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds for her seventh consecutive double-double. She was 8 of 18 from the free throw line. Aerial Starks (FR/Houston, TX) had 14 points and six boards. McInnis scored 10 points and had four steals.
The Celts were 21 of 66 from the field and 3 of 15 from long distance. They were outrebounded 56-48. The Tigers shot 22 of 77 and 1 of 17 from beyond the arc.
St. Thomas built a 16-8 first quarter lead, taking its largest lead of the period when Hopkins scored on a second chance opportunity three seconds before the buzzer. UST was 8 of 17 from the floor in the first quarter, while holding Paul Quinn to 3 of 13.
The Tigers tied the game at 19 when Twila Hill scored off one of UST's 31 turnovers. But the Celts went on a 7-0 run to take a 26-19 lead on Aerial Starks' triple with 2:17 to go before halftime. McInnis scored with five seconds left in the half to give St. Thomas its largest lead at nine before Templeton scored in the paint to beat the buzzer.
The Celts were shooting 41 percent through the second quarter. The Tigers were shooting 30 percent.
Hopkins sank a pair of free throws to push St. Thomas' lead to 37-25 at the 8:21 mark in the third. Paul Quinn cut it to five with 3:56 left in the period, but the Celts bumped it back to nine by the end of the quarter.
The Celts were 9 of 10 at the free throw stripe through three quarters. The Tigers were 7 of 13. St. Thomas was getting beat on the boards, 40-32, through the third.
Paul Quinn turned the tables in the fourth, outscoring the Celts, 17-7, to snatch what had belonged to UST for practically the entire game. After Starks' bucket in the paint with 8:34 to play gave the Celts a 50-40 lead, the Tigers used a 7-2 run to pull within five. Paul Quinn outscored St. Thomas, 9-3, over the final 3:52 to pull out the down-to-the-wire finish.
UST, which did not attempt a free throw in the first quarter, went 1 of 6 from the line in the fourth. The Celts converted 3 of 17 field goals in the final quarter. Paul Quinn was 6 of 21 from the field and 4 of 8 from the stripe in the fourth.
The Celts will play at Texas College in Tyler 5 p.m. Saturday.
