Crusaders allow St. Thomas to Pull Away in Home Opener
IRVING, Texas - On Friday the University of Dallas women's basketball team competed with the University of St. Thomas in its first game back at the Maher Center since the end of the 2020 regular season. Despite a seesaw battle that saw the Crusaders outscore their opposition in the first and third quarters, it was a late surge that carried St. Thomas to a 78-60 final. The Celts (1-2) used a 27-10 fourth quarter that was fueled by a late scoring streak to pull away in what otherwise was a tight game throughout.
Amber Turner (Rogers, Ark.) led UD (0-3) with 15 points and Alyssa Sullivan (Wylie, Texas) grabbed a double-double thanks to 10 points and team-leading 12 rebounds. Beyonce Perry (Lake Jackson, Texas) added 14 points and Imani Hardin (Helotes, Texas) was the fourth starter in scoring double figures with 12 points. Turner shot 4-for-7 from the floor that included a 3-for-4 effort from downtown. She chipped in four assists, three steals, and four rebounds, too. Camille Fowler (Helotes, Texas) pulled down seven rebounds for second on the team.
Tied at 12 with 2:42 left in the first quarter, the Crusaders scored seven straight points starting with a Camille Fowler () layup. Perry added a triple on the next UD possession and then Fowler forced a steal that eventually led to the Crusaders having an opportunity for more free throws. Even up 19-12, the Celts nipped the deficit to 19-17, but a Perry basket in the last six seconds closed out a 21-17 first quarter edge.
UD stretched the lead to 25-19 early in the second period, but St. Thomas got hot and rattled a 15-0 run to go up 34-25 with two minutes left. Perry drained a trey to end the dry spell at 1:34. Another trifecta by Turner made it a three-point deficit at intermission. In the third quarter, the Crusaders outscored their road opponent by two (19-17) to enter the final 10 minutes down one.
Raylee Minich (Crowley, Texas) and Hardin had layups for consecutive UD points to knot the board at 54 with 7:29 to go. Five points swung the pendulum to St. Thomas a final time and outscored UD 24-6 to push the game out of reach.
The Celts were led by a top scoring duo with 22 points apiece in Zariah McInnis and Micayla Hamilton. McInnis dished five assists and snagged three steals, while Hamilton produced five thefts and four blocks.
These teams will be back on the floor Saturday at 1 p.m. for tip-off. A reminder that there are no spectators at the games right now, but all the action can be followed on udallasathletics.com and College TV Ticket.