Behind a solid team effort, the Sul Ross State women's basketball team played a competitive contest against the St. Mary's Rattlers on Friday night during the home opener.
It came down to the wire, but the Rattlers slithered past the Lobos, 74-68, at the Pete P. Gallego Center.
>> HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Lobos began the first quarter on an 8-0 run.
Melody Martinez made a jumper in the paint while
Cheyanne Bonilla scored five points which included a three-pointer.
St. Mary's used a 7-0 run to trail by one with 4:21 remaining.
Sophiya Bustillos then hit a three-pointer to brew up a 9-0 run that put the Lobos up by 10 points.
TaMaiya Mims scored four points during the run while
Caitlyn Corley added with a jumper off an assist by Bonilla.
The 10-point lead soon became a one-point deficit after a 9-0 run by the Rattlers to start the second quarter.
After a pair of shots in the paint by Mims and
Victoria Aguayo, the Lobos extended their lead to five with 6:15 on the clock.
St. Mary's cut the deficit back down to one.
Kyra Taylor then finished a steal with a layup to put the Lobos ahead by three with 4:48 to go.
Using a 4-0 run, Sul Ross State extended its lead to six. Corley grabbed a steal that led to a layup by Bonilla during the run.
Late in the second quarter, the Rattlers went on an 8-0 run to take a two-point lead.
Maddie Rhea tied up the game with a shot in the paint and then the Rattlers responded with a layup from Christin Callens to take the lead back.
There were three lead changes in the third quarter.
Sul Ross State used a 5-0 run that was highlighted by a three-pointer from Corley to lead by two.
St. Mary's tied up the score at 40-all until Rhea made a shot in the paint and then Bustillos hit a three-pointer to put Sul Ross State up by five with 4:53 to go.
The Lobos trailed by three until Mims tied up the game by making two free throws with 1:15 on the clock.
St. Mary's closed out the quarter on a 3-0 run to lead by three points.
Sul Ross State trailed by four with 6:34 in the fourth quarter. Martinez then made two free throws and then Bonilla made a layup to tie up the score at 58-all.
The Rattlers then went on a 4-0 run to eventually lead by five with 1:51 left to go.
After two layups by Martinez, the Lobos fought back to tie up the game at 68-all with 55 seconds remaining in regulation.
Unfortunately, the Rattlers used a 6-0 run to close out the contest and pull away for the win.
>> RECORDS: St. Mary's (2-1); Sul Ross State (0-1)
>> GAME NOTES:
- Mims finished with 13 points, five steals and four assists.
- Bonilla tallied 13 points, five rebounds and two assists.
- Martinez had 11 points and four rebounds.
- Corley added nine points, nine rebounds, three steals and four assists.
- Rhea scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds.
- Bustillos finished with six points as she made two 3-pointers.
- The Lobos had 14 steals while they shot 14 for 20 from the free throw line.
>> UP NEXT: The Lobos take on Texas State for an exhibition game on Monday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. CST.
