HOUSTON – The Celts of the University of St. Thomas scored early, late, and often Sunday as they cruised to a 104-66 win over Southwestern (Texas) on a historic day for one of UST's most recognizable players.
UST senior Sheridan Hopkins (Galveston, Texas / Ball) finished a steal shy of a triple-double, scoring 35 points, pulling in 13 rebounds and collecting nine steals for the Celts. A midrange jumper early in the second period to give her points Nos. 6 and 7 was her biggest day of the day, as it made her UST's women's basketball career scoring leader.
That basket gave Hopkins 1,681 points in a UST uniform, eclipsing the 1,679 points scored by Maghen Lormand between 2012 and 2017. Hopkins finished Sunday's game with 1,709 career points; the Celts have 10 games remaining on their schedule.
With the win, the Celts (11-4) improved to 6-2 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play, one-half game ahead of Colorado College for third place.
The Celts topped the century mark for the third time this season, while Hopkins scored 30 or more points for the fourth time this season. She went 12-of-19 from the field – making both of her 3-point attempts – and was 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
Hopkins led four Celts scoring in double-figures against Southwestern. Bresha Orange (Longview, Texas / Panola College) scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting while going 4-of-9 from the 3-point arc. Meanwhile, Jazz Taylor (Duncanville, Texas / Abilene Christian) scored a season-high 16 points and pulled in eight rebounds for the Celts.
UST freshman Hayden Morin (Humble, Texas / Atascocita) came off the bench to score 13 points for the Celts; she also claimed four steals Sunday.
The visiting Pirates scored the first five points of the game before the Celts seized control. UST scored 11 unanswered points between 4:28 and 2:16 marks of the opening quarter to take a 21-9 lead.
The Celts took a 25-12 lead into the second quarter and only saw their lead dip into single digits once from that point on. UST continued to build its lead throughout the game and led by as many as 41 points early in the fourth quarter.
UST players forced 29 turnovers while committing only 10 of their own Sunday. That discrepancy led to a 35-10 advantage in points off turnovers for the Celts.
The Celts return to action Saturday, Jan. 18, when they host Centenary (La.) as part of UST's Homecoming festivities. Tipoff for the women's game is scheduled for 6 p.m., approximately one-half hour after the conclusion of the men's game between the two schools.
