HOUSTON, Texas – St. Thomas women's basketball team nearly pulled off its biggest win of the season Saturday night, falling just short to No. 20 Louisiana State University-Alexandria, 73-71.
Unique Finley (SR/Houston, TX) hit a three-pointer with 2:44 to go to give St. Thomas (11-12, 8-8 Red River Athletic Conference) a 69-68 lead. LSU-Alexandria (21-5, 14-3) reclaimed the lead on Aja Law's layup with 1:26 remaining. Sheridan Hopkins (JR/Galveston, TX) sank two free throws with 47 seconds left as the Celts cut it to 72-71.
After LSU-Alexandria's Danyale Bayonne split a pair from the free throw line, the Celts called a timeout to advance the ball past half court with 12 seconds remaining. UST had two cracks at the basket, but couldn't get either shot to drop, and the Generals escaped with a win.
The Celts shot 30 percent from the field, while the Generals shot 38 percent. UST was 20 of 23 from the free throw line. LSU-Alexandria was 16 of 23.
Hopkins scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, while coming up with three blocks. Finley had 13 points. Bayonne scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Brittany Hall had 15 points and five assists for the Generals.
Sydney Hayes (JR/Houston, TX) scored with 2:02 left in the first quarter to give the Celts a 17-12 lead. The Generals put together a 7-2 run to end the quarter to tie it at 19 entering the second. UST was 7 of 19 from the field in the opening period. LSU-Alexandria was 8 of 20.
Hayes, who finished with 11 points and three assists, scored on a layup midway through the second quarter to tie it at 26. The Generals went ahead 33-28 before Zariah McInnis (SO/Richmond, TX) hit a triple to pull the Celts within two. Hayes hit a runner off the glass to tie it at 35. The Generals took a 39-37 lead into intermission.
McInnis and Hayes each had four field goals in the first half as the Celts shot 36.8 percent. Bayonne scored 16 points for the Generals, who shot 41.2 percent in the half.
LSU-Alexandria opened up a nine-point lead at the 5:21 mark of the third period. Hopkins sank two free throws with 2:32 left in the third to pull the Celts within five. The Generals increased their lead back to nine before Finley converted a three-point play with 58 seconds left in the quarter to cut the deficit to six entering the final period. The Celts scored 10 of their 18 points in the quarter from the free throw stripe.
Brianna Owens (SO/Richmond, TX) canned a jumper from the wing, and Hopkins scored down low to open the fourth as the Celts drew within two. Hopkins buried a three fading away with 5:41 to play to bring UST within 65-64.
St. Thomas outrebounded LSU-Alexandria, 55-42. Aerial Starks (FR/Houston, TX) grabbed nine boards, and McInnis and Owens each had six. Alexandria outscored UST, 32-20, in the paint. The Celts outscored the Generals, 18-11, in second chance points.
UST will close the regular season at home against Paul Quinn College and Texas College next Friday and Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
