FORT SMITH- Three players scored in double-figures for UAFS on Saturday afternoon as the Lady Lions eased past the St. Mary’s Rattlers for a 63-48 Heartland Conference win on Senior Day and Homecoming at the Stubblefield Center.
UAFS (9-16, 6-6) won its second game in a row and forced a split in the regular-season, home-and-home series against St. Mary’s (16-9, 6-7), which beat UAFS 65-48 on Jan. 26 at Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas.
The Lady Lions are locked in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference going into their final two regular-season games. UAFS will play Oklahoma Christian at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Eagles Nest in Oklahoma City and will play Newman at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita, Kan.
All eight teams will advance to the conference tournament, which will begin on Thursday, March 7, at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Junior forward Tamera Gulley led UAFS with 16 points, while junior guard Alexsis Brown had 14 and senior forward Ellie Lehne had 11. UAFS shot just 30 percent from the field (17 of 57) – it was 4-of-11 shooting from 3-point range – and shot 66 percent from the free-throw line (25 of 38).
UAFS dominated St. Mary’s in rebounds, out-rebounding the Rattlers by 11 rebounds (51-40). Gulley topped off her team-leading fourth double-double with 10 rebounds, and Lehne just missed a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds.
The Lady Lions collected 18 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second-chance points.
St. Mary’s shot just 28 percent from the field (17 of 61) – it was only 2-of-5 shooting from 3-point range – and shot 77 percent from the free-throw line (10 of 13). Guard Kaitlin Walla had 17 points, while guard Arysia Porter had 11.
Forward Hannah Wilson just missed a double-double, finishing with eight points and a team-high 17 rebounds.
WOMEN
UAFS 63, ST. MARY’S 48
St. Mary’s 7 14 14 13 — 48
UAFS 10 17 11 25 — 63
St. Mary’s (16-9, 6-7): Walla 17, Porter 11, Wilson 8, Banks 8, Torres 2, Culiver 2
UAFS (9-16, 6-6): Gulley 16, A. Brown 14, Lehne 11, D. Brown 9, Green 9, Elkins 4
STORY: UAFS ATHLETICS NEWS
