KERRVILLE, Texas – The Tiger women's basketball team held on for a 63-58 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference road win over Schreiner University on Tuesday night.

Trinity improved to 17-5 overall and 12-1 in SCAC play with its seventh consecutive win, which also secures the regular season series sweep against the Mountaineers, and keeps the team alone in first place in the standings. Schreiner dropped to 7-15 overall and 6-7 in conference.

The Tigers forced 24 turnovers in the game, leading to a 30-13 margin in points off of turnovers. Trinity also held a 20-5 advantage in fast break points. Neither team shot the ball well as Trinity hit less than 32% overall from the field and went 9-for-40 (22.5%) from three-point range. The Tiger defense was effective, though, holding Schreiner under 35% shooting overall and just over 30% from distance.

Kyle Minter (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) buried a clutch three-pointer with 1:35 to play that put the Tigers up 57-53, then Minter and Jamie Ruede (Pipe Creek, Texas / Boerne) combined to go 6-for-6 at the foul line in the final 23 seconds to seal the win.

Minter finished with a double-double of 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, adding four assists and a steal. She hit 3-for-9 from beyond the arc and 5-for-5 at the foul line. Ruede came off the bench with a team-high 20 points scored for the Tigers, hitting four three-pointers and connecting on all six free throw attempts.

Elaine King (Cedar Park, Texas / Cedar Park) finished with nine points, six rebounds, and tied her career-high with four blocks. Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic) contributed a team-best five assists, while Maggie Robbins (Plano, Texas / Plano) chipped in with eight points, five boards, and three assists.

The Rundown

Trinity opened up the scoring with a three-pointer, but Schreiner quickly grabbed the lead and never let go the rest of the first quarter. The Mountaineers held the Tigers to just nine total points in the period, as well as just two points for more than five minutes at the end of the quarter. Napoli scored on a fast break in the final seconds to cut the lead to 13-9 after one.

Robbins scored the first four points of the second period to get the Tigers going on offense, tying the game 13-13 in the opening moments of the period. Schreiner eased back in front with its first points of the period, but Minter nailed a go-ahead three-pointer to give Trinity its first lead since the beginning of the game. Ruede added a bucket of her own to make it a three-point game, but Schreiner quickly tied things up with a three of its own just past the midway point of the period. Minter and Ruede provided an answer for the Tigers, scoring 11 points during a 13-1 run that put Trinity up 32-19 with 1:35 left before the half. Ruede hit a pair of threes during the stretch, while Minter and Napoli also connected from distance. Schreiner got the final points of the half with a three-pointer to slow the momentum, but Trinity still took a 32-22 lead into the break.

After King scored early in the third to make it a 12-point game, Schreiner put together a huge rally with 11 straight points in less than three minutes to get back into the game. King dropped in another layup to stop the streak, then Ruede later converted a pair of free throws to push the margin back to 39-33 with 2:39 remaining. The Mountaineers weren't done yet, though, scoring the final six points of the period to tie things up 39-39 heading into the decisive fourth quarter.

Trinity produced its best scoring output of the night when it mattered most, finishing with a 24-19 edge in the final quarter. The teams traded three-pointers to start the period and both the Tigers and Mountaineers held small leads heading to the midway point. Bailey Timmons (Argyle, Texas / Argyle) put Trinity up 49-48 with 5:01 remaining and the Tigers never trailed again. Ruede followed that bucket with another three-pointer to make it a four-point advantage, but the Mountaineers stayed in it until the end. Schreiner hit a three-pointer with 2:18 left to make it 54-53, then had a chance to take the lead on its next possession; however, a steal by Timmons led to Minter's crucial three-pointer with 1:35 left. Schreiner had another make from distance to draw within one with 25 seconds left, but Minter was fouled immediately and sank two free throws to make it 59-56. Schreiner missed its next three, but got a putback layup to bring it back to a one-point game. Ruede then dropped in four straight free throws in the final 11 seconds to seal the Tiger win.

Coach Speak

"Poise under pressure is an underrated quality," said Head Coach Cameron Hill. "People tend to take it for granted until they really need it. A lot like real leadership. The game tonight reminded me of Jaws, the original beach thriller! One of my all-time favorites. Tons of great moments throughout, but when it came time to do winning things, Martin Brody put the entire community of Amity – and America – in the barrel of his gun and pulled the trigger. Game. Over. ONWARD!"

Up Next

Trinity finishes off its regular season home schedule this weekend, hosting Colorado College at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 11.