THE LEAD >>>

SAN ANTONIO --
Midwestern State's Zarria Carter exploded for a game-high 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds against St. Mary's Wednesday night at Bill Greehey Arena.

But the Mustangs surrendered an 14-point halftime lead, allowing the Rattlers to steal a 70-67 Lone Star Conference win.

HOW IT HAPPENED >>>

St. Mary's inside-outside combo of senior guard Teanna Huggins and freshman forward Taylor Haggan combined for 26 points in the second half as the Rattlers spun an 18-point deficit early in the second half into a three-point win.

St. Mary's shot 60 percent from the field in the second half and used a 13-2 run after freshman Vani Sancho capped off a run of nine consecutive points to pull within 50-46 with 4:44 to play in the third period.

The Rattlers tied the game on three occasions in the final period before finally taking the lead on Haggins' layup with 1:54 to play.

The comeback blunted an exceptional start for Midwestern State which used a 12-0 run to take a 14-2 just over halfway through the first period. The Mustangs led by 14 at the break, then expanded the lead after opening the second half with baskets by Kertisa Amos and Carter to lead 46-28 with 8:55 to play in the third period.

LEADERS >>>

- Midwestern State junior Zarria Carter logged her second game with at least 30 points this season, finishing with 33 points and nine rebounds. She shot 13-of-22 from the field and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe.
- Carter, who scored 34 points and grabbed 18 rebounds earlier this season against Adams State, upped her season scoring average to 15.1 points per game.
- St. Mary's freshman Taylor Haggan scored a career-high 24 points on 12-of-15 shooting, while grabbing six rebounds.
- St. Mary's senior Teanna Huggins booked a seasonhigh 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while filling out an all-around line with nine rebounds and six assists.
- Midwestern State senior Makayla Coy narrowly missed her second double-double of the season finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds. It was fourth game with at least 10 points over her last six outings.

GAME NOTES >>>

- St. Mary's claimed its first home win over Midwestern State since December 9, 2000. The Mustangs claimed wins in the River City in 2002-03 (74-65) and in 2017-18 (62-47).
- The Mustangs lead the overall series, 17-6.
- Midwestern State committed a season-low six turnovers while holding a 23-6 edge in points off of turnovers against the Rattlers.
- The Mustangs have lost nine consecutive game which is the longest slide since MSU dropped nine straight during the 2015-16 season.

UP NEXT >>>

Midwestern State finishes its road trip Friday night against St. Edward's at the Recreation and Convocation Center in Austin. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
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