SAN ANTONIO – No. 3/4 Trinity University Women's Basketball posted a 20-point advantage before the end of the first quarter Monday night en route to a 74-63 in-region victory over No. 12/15 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Calgaard Gym, picking up right where it left off prior to a 15-day hiatus.

The Tigers (10-0) reached the program's first double-digit winning streak to open a season since the 2016-17 campaign through 21 points on eight-of-13 from the field by senior Ashlyn Milton (Amarillo, Texas / Amarillo), 12 of which came in the first-half barrage that led to a 36-20 advantage at intermission.

Trinity weathered a third-quarter rally from the Crusaders (7-2) as the bulk of senior Addie Putnam's (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Xavier) first career double-double came in the latter half. Putnam's output overall featured team-highs in rebounds (11), assists (5) and blocks (3) on top of 11 points and four steals.

Strong guard play was contagious for the Tigers Monday as junior Maggie Robbins (Plano, Texas / Plano) matched Putnam's 11 points as the third Trinity player in double-digits while leading the contest with five steals and pitching in four assists.

Head Coach Cameron Hill was recognized after the game as Monday marked the first home contest for the Tigers since he assumed the lead in program history for wins at Centenary College on December 2. Hill sits at 231-46 (.834) in his 11^th season at the helm.

No. 3/4 Trinity Women's Basketball will host No. 15/20 University of Puget Sound Wednesday for another key Region 10 matchup in the Bell Center.

The Rundown
The Tigers posted a devastating 17-0 run on UMHB over a six-minute window in the first quarter that pushed the margin to 20-2 with just seven minutes elapsed from the game clock. During the run, senior Emily Nelson (Sugar Land, Texas / Saint Agnes) tallied all of her seven points for the contest as she and Milton combined for 14 of Trinity's first 18 points. A long-range strike from sophomore A'Nnika Saenz (Edinburg, Texas / Edinburg) marked the first 20-point margin, 25-5, before the end of the frame.

Milton kept the offense in gear for the Tigers as she reached double-digits 30 seconds into the second period on the second of three made attempts from beyond the arc in the contest, marking Robbins's second assist in the process. The second Robbins steal of the contest led to Trinity's largest advantage of the contest, 32-10, following a Putnam put-back.

The fourth steal for Robbins less than three minutes after the halftime break put the Tigers back up by 20, 42-22, but it also marked the beginning of a resurgence from the Crusaders on a 17-1 run over four-and-a-half minutes in the heart of the third that led to just a one-possession spread, 46-44 Trinity, with 90 seconds left in the period.

The contest stayed between one and two-possession margins for the first four minutes of the final quarter, though the Tigers never relinquished the lead. Putnam produced both her fourth steal and fourth assist—courtesy of a three-pointer from sophomore Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic)—to put Trinity back up to a nine-point margin, 64-55, with five minutes to play. A pair of Napoli free throws followed by the final bucket from Milton slammed the door on the UMHB rally as the Tigers rode out to the eventual 74-63 mark.

Notables
Milton passed Murphy Burns (2010-14) for second in school history for career three-pointers. She is just nine more from tying Hannah Coley (2011-15) for the all-time mark at Trinity. She is the current leader for career three-point shooting percentage, hitting 38.7% over her career.

Milton is also just 14 points shy of reaching 1,000 in her career. She would be the 19th player in school history to achieve the milestone, as well as the first since Abby Holland (2016-20) scored her 1,000th point during the 2018-19 season.

Robbins moved into the top 25 in school history with her 164th career assist in tonight's game. She could become the 18th Tiger player to dish out 200 or more assists in a career.

Coach Speak
"Kevin Bacon is a chameleon and one of his best – but least known – films is She's Having a Baby," Coach Hill remarked. "In the movie, there is a long list of cameos during which everyone offers up name ideas for the child. I want to dedicate tonight's 'Coach Speak' to my brother Jerry Gezella. He and his wife welcomed a beautiful baby girl tonight. Jerry, even though I don't have a name for her, you can whisper in her ear that Uncle Cam and the TOGETHERS welcomed her into the world with a win over UMHB!"

Up Next
No. 3/4 Trinity Women's Basketball will host another nationally-ranked Region 10 foe in No. 15/20 Puget Sound Wednesday to round-out the 2022-23 non-conference slate after the Loggers and Crusaders square-off in Calgaard Gym Tuesday evening.

The Tigers will remain at home through the holiday week to host Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference action against Schreiner University (Dec. 29) and Colorado College (Jan. 2).