Saints Women Attempt Comeback but Come Up Short

HOBBS, N.M. (Jan. 15, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) women's basketball team fell to the University of the Southwest 72-68 on Saturday. The Saints move to 4-10 overall and 3-6 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Lady Mustangs jump to 8-7 overall and 4-5 in conference.

Head Coach Tanya Ray said, "We dug too big of a hole to start the game. We made a push to get back in it but didn't get enough stops defensively when they were needed."

History

The Saints were 25-1 against the Lady Mustangs prior to the game.

Basics

The Saints lost a close game against the Lady Mustangs on Saturday afternoon. OLLU struggled in the first quarter by scoring nine points and allowing 24. The squad adjusted between quarters and totaled 22 points in the second frame before halftime. The Mustangs took a 14-point lead into halftime.

OLLU outscored the Lady Mustangs in both the third and fourth quarters, but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback. They limited Southwest to 11 points in the third quarter to cut the advantage to six points before the final quarter. The Saints continued to shrink the lead but ultimately ended up losing by four points. Tiffany Lopez, Julia Plata and Carrie Barrera-Lacy finished with double digit points. Barrera-Lacy marked a double-double with 11 rebounds.

Offensive/defensive standouts

Lopez led the Saints with 15 points. Barrera-Lacy tallied a team-high 11 rebounds. Barrera-Lacy also led the Saints with five assists.

Karinna Ortiz led USW with 21 points. Yuliana Garcia grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and added 12 points for a double-double. Milinda Arguellez led the team with 10 assists and had 18 points to join Garcia with a double-double.

Inside the box

OLLU combined for 26-of-63 shooting for 41.3 percent, 4-of-15 from three-point range for 26.7 percent and 12-of-22 from the free-throw line for 54.5 percent. USW shot 30-of-70 for 42.9 percent, 7-of-27 three pointers for 25.9 percent and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line for 83.3 percent.

The Saints grabbed 32 rebounds while USW collected 34. The Saints forced 13 turnovers and committed 15.

Up next

The Saints play at LSU-Alexandria on Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m.