AUSTIN, Texas — Running into a hot team that was shooting even hotter, the Newman women's basketball team fell 83-64 to first-place St. Edward's Saturday afternoon in Heartland Conference action.

KEY SEQUENCE

The Jets (13-8, 3-5 Heartland) were hanging around with the Hilltoppers (13-6, 9-1 Heartland) for much of the first half, and trailed by just eight after a Mali Wright jumper at the 4:07 mark of the second quarter. Following a three-minute lull with no scoring by either team, St. Edward's went out on a 13-2 run spanning halftime that bumped the lead to 19.

HOW IT HAPPENED

-Newman got out to an early lead thanks to Wright converting on both of the team's first two trips down the court, going up 4-0 in the first minute. The senior added another jumper and Hannah Alexander one of her own to push the lead out to 8-2 with two minutes gone.

-The Hilltoppers answered in kind though, going on a pair of 5-0 runs to take their first lead of the game at 12-10 midway through the quarter. An Alexander jumper tied it once again, but the hosts then ran off eight straight points to build a margin.

-A Jazzmen Ortiz 3-pointer and a Bria DeGrate free throw cut that lead to four early in the second quarter, but St. Edward's responded with a 7-0 run to push the lead to double digits. DeGrate's trey with 4:37 on the clock made it a seven-point game at 34-27, but the hosts again pulled away by the half.

-A three-point play from Wright cut the lead to 17 midway through the third, and Iva Krstevska's 3-pointer two minutes later did the same, but the Toppers closed the period strong.

-Newman didn't go quietly, cutting it to 16 with a 7-2 run early in the fourth. Krstevska netted all seven points in a 7-0 run over 90 seconds to slice it back to 18 midway through the quarter.

LEADERS

Newman
Points: Wright 17. Rebounds: Kendra Butler 5. Assists: Ortiz, Krstevska, Natalia Hausmann 2. Steals: Butler 2. Blocks: DeGrate, Butler, Carolina Bianchi 1.

St. Edward's
Points: Lexi Fatheree 28. Rebounds: Abby Hopper 10. Assists: Shakera Barnes 9. Steals: Saundra Guillory 2. Blocks: none.

NOTES

-The Jets pushed four into double digit scoring in the game, led by Wright, who netted her 17 on 8-of-12 shooting. Krstevska and Alexander each added 13, and DeGrate put up 11.

-Newman finished the game just edging the Hilltoppers in shooting, converting on 46.3 percent to St. Edward's 45.9, but the hosts connected on 12 3-pointers, including 10 in the first three quarters.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Jets head home for a busy week, starting Monday with a rescheduled game against Lubbock Christian.