SAN ANTONIO – Texas A&M International University women's basketball (7-9, 4-6 LSC) fell 65-56 on Thursday evening in Lone Star Conference action on the road to the St. Mary's Rattlers (7-7, 6-4 LSC).

St. Mary's started off strong as they compiled a 13-4 run in the opening 8:12. Jessica Barbosa chipped in with six points throughout the spurt. 

TAMIU closed out the quarter by scoring the final five points that featured a fast break layup by Patrycja Jaworska before Nicole Heyn connected from long distance to cut their deficit to four after the first quarter (13-9).

The Rattlers fought back in the second quarter as Bella Hughes knocked down a three-pointer to build their lead to double-digits (22-12) with 5:12 left in the period. 

Christine Ortega sank a pair of free throws for TAMIU with 18 seconds that sent the Dustdevils into the break down by 15 points (34-19).

St. Mary's continued their offensive barrage as Barbosa knocked down a jumper that extended their lead to a game-high 20 points (39-19) at the 8:42 mark in the third quarter. 

Later in the third quarter, TAMIU responded by slashing the 20-point deficit in half by putting together a 15-5 run in a span of 5:20 to bring the score to 47-37 with 26 seconds showing on the game clock. Josselin Geer played an integral role in the run by pouring in seven points, as part of her 10-point period.  

Briley Perkins hit a three-pointer for St. Mary's to end the third quarter that brought the score to 50-37 in favor of the home team.

The Dustdevils started the fourth quarter by displaying their resiliency as they used a 17-7 run to narrow the deficit to just three points (57-54) with 3:46 left in regulation. The scoring spree was sparked 34 seconds into the period as Jaden Gonzales found Clara Fernandez beyond the arc and was later followed by a Gonzales jumper. Jaworska also dished a pass to Ortega who finished a layup through contact and ultimately completed a three-point play that continued the momentum.

Alexia Torres would later sink four-straight shots from the charity stripe to settle the 65-56 victory for the Rattlers.

Jaworska led all scorers with 16 points (7-of-16 FG) and pulled down four boards and nabbed a pair of steals. Geer ended the night with 10 points while Fernandez posted a season-high seven rebounds. 

Perkins paced the Rattlers by registering 14 points (5-of-12, 4-of-9 3FG) while Barbosa had a double-double of 11 points (5-of-7 FG) to go with a game-high 14 rebounds (eight offensive). 

In the end, Texas A&M International shot 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the field, 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from three-point range and 50 percent (3-of-6) from the free-throw line while St. Mary's shot 38.3 percent (23-of-60) from the floor, 31.3 percent (10-of-32) from beyond the arc and 75 percent (9-of-12) from the charity stripe. The Rattlers held the advantage in rebounds (40-34), blocks (7-1) and assists (16-15). TAMIU and St. Mary's tallied seven steals apiece.

TAMIU continues on the road on Saturday, January 18 and will face LSC foe, St. Edward's (10-5, 6-4 LSC) at 1 p.m.