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Besting their previous season high win streak of five, the St. Mary´s Lady Rattlers picked up their sixth straight over provisional Heartland Conference member McMurry University on Saturday.
Arguably, St. Edward´s was was one of the few teams that could have shaken the Lady Rattlers.
The last time the Lady Rattlers exited Newman University´s court, it was with heads held low as they were eliminated from the Heartland Conference Tournament. That was´t the case Saturday.
It was another easy one for the Lady Rattlers, who stayed clean in the Heartland Conference on Thursday in a blowout win over UA Fort Smith.
Considering how well the Lady Rattlers have been playing all season and this week in particular, it´s not too soon to think about the possible home court advantage they are trying to possess in the Heartland Conference Tournament.
After their five game winning streak was snapped before the holidays, the Lady Rattlers came out Thursday ready to avenge themselves and bump their game play back up to the top.
The Lady Rattlers´ non conference game against East Central University on Wednesday has been moved to 2 p.m.
The St. Mary´s women´s basketball team´s rotation of four guards in the starting lineup against Southeastern Oklahoma State proved to be hard to contend with, as the Lady Rattlers nearly hit the century mark in a blowout win.
After an explosive outing against Texas Woman´s last week, sophomore Morgan Pullins has brought in St. Mary´s first women´s basketball Heartland Conference Player of the Week award.
The Lady Rattlers continue on a streak of victories as they picked up their third straight in the Heartland Conference opener Saturday with a win over Texas A&M International.
The Lady Rattlers entered Wednesday´s showdown with one of the nation´s top teams without two of their top contributors off the bench. But it wouldn´t matter.
It didn´t take long for newcomer Lia Kioa to fit comfortably in a Rattler uniform as she led St. Mary´s in its 20 point victory over Harding University on Saturday.
The Lady Rattlers didn´t head into Thanksgiving the way they would have liked.
The early season battle of unbeatens lived up to its hype Sunday, as Central Missouri escaped with a victory over St. Mary´s at the buzzer.
Breaking open what was a tight game at the midway point with a strong second half, St. Mary´s women´s hoops maintained its perfect start to the new season. And it took defense to do so.
A 5 foot 6 guard isn´t usually a threat for a double double, but most guards aren´t Felicia Jacobs.
On the road back from Wichita, Kan., after being eliminated in the first round of the Heartland Conference Tournament, Felicia Jacobs turned and asked, "Will you be here next year?"
If this weekend´s exhibition action is any indicator, the St. Mary´s women´s basketball team could be in for a big year.
It was a common site the past three years to find Rebecca Cantu shooting all alone on the St. Mary´s basketball court late into the evening.
A sea of read and a thunderous crowd not in their favor greeted the Lady Rattlers in their semifinal game against Newman University on Friday. They weren´t in Texas anymore.
Stepping on the floor that will hold the Lady Rattlers´ fate is what greeted St. Mary´s to Wichita, Kan., on Thursday.
Making a pit stop Wednesday on their road to the championship, the Lady Rattlers stopped in Denton, Texas after a day of driving through the Heartland soaking in their extended season play.
"The Big O" won a big award on Monday.
The Lady Rattlers´ last regular season game didn´t change their pace of the turnaround team they´ve become through their journey toward clinching a spot in the Heartland Conference Tournament.
The Lady Rattlers´ second encounter with the No. 2 seeded University of Arkansas Fort Smith resulted in a tough familiarity of defeat Saturday, as the Lions swept the regular season series.
Long after the final buzzer had sounded in the Lady Rattlers´ thrilling overtime win over Newman on Thursday, DeAnna Patterson sat in a far corner of the front concourse inside Bill Greehey Arena.
Getting hot in a moment´s notice is Lady Rattler Rebecca Cantu´s stitch.
Hustle and fundamentals. They´re two of the more basic elements of the game, yet on Saturday were the undeniable difference in the Lady Rattlers´ thrilling overtime victory against St. Edward´s.
Her only 3 of the night was the shot heard ´round the Bill Greehey Arena for Texas Permian Basin on Thursday.
Kathryn Galindo fills a variety of roles for the Lady Rattlers, capable of generating a quick laugh in practice with her bubbly personality as she is at backing down a defender with her 6 foot 2 frame.
From close range to downtown, Lady Rattler Chesney Neely brings a new flavor to the game of posts.
The Lady Rattlers hit the road hard Monday, braking to face the No. 8 ranked team in the nation, Northeastern State, but couldn´t switch gears fast enough to give the nationally ranked team its second loss of the season.
Despite big efforts from the Lady Rattlers down the stretch, including three players hitting double figures, St. Mary´s was knocked down a peg in the Heartland standings by Arkansas Fort Smith on Thursday.
The Lady Rattlers will go racing, and we mean racing, into Saturday´s clash with Newman, where first place in the Heartland Conference will be at stake.
Coaching Staff
Head Coach Jason Martens
Jason Martens is in his seventh season as the head coach and 10th year overall with the St. Mary's women's basketball program. And last season, he became the winningest coach in school history.
With a career mark of 111-63, Martens surpassed Tom Weeaks, who held the top spot with a 101-47 record.
Last season, Martins turned a young team that included three, and sometimes four, new players in the regular rotation into a Heartland Conference contender. After losing nine of their first 10 games of the 2011-12 season, the Lady Rattlers charged back as the team Martens envisioned, turning around to go undefeated in the first four games of Heartland Conference play to temporarily hold the top spot in the league. St. Mary's ended up advancing to the quarterfinals of the Heartland Conference Tournament with a 13-16 overall record, paving the way for a seemingly bright future to come.
Newcomer Jackie Edwards, who returns this upcoming season, was the breakout talent, being selected to the All-Conference First Team as well as being named the league's Newcomer of the Year. The guard averaged a team-high 12.4 points per game and led the team in assists with a total of 84 on the season. Alongside Edwards was freshman Morgan Pullins, who made strong waves by averaging 9.8 points per game with team-highs in blocks (25) and steals (47). Reaching the 6-foot ruler, the post was selected to the All-Conference Second Team and received the league's Freshman of the Year award. Senior DeAnna Patterson was the last of the Lady Rattlers to receive honors, earning All-Conference Honorable Mention.
Breaking through a rocky start, Martens' Lady Rattlers quickly gelled to become a team to watch. And with their new faces suddenly experienced, this season has potential to make statements right from the start.
In 2010-11, Martens had another winning year with an overall record of 15-12. The Rattlers and Martens had an even better Heartland Conference season, with a record of 7-3 and finishing as the No. 3 seed in the conference. Martens has two returning seniors to his squad this year, along with several veterans and a few new fresh legs that hope to bring home another winning season for the Rattlers.
In 2009-10, the Rattlers went 22-8, earning their third straight 20-plus-win season under Martens. They also won the Heartland Conference and advanced to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament for the third straight year.
In 2007-08, the Rattlers rocketed into the top-25 nationally, posting a 25-5 record, a 24-game win streak, and won the Heartland Conference regular season and postseason championships. The Rattlers earned an at-large berth in the NCAA South Central Region Tournament. Martens was named Heartland Conference Coach of Year, while Natalie Gamez was named Heartland Conference Player of the Year and Mallory Moeller earned Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year.
In his first season as head coach, Martens led the Rattlers to 12 wins and a berth in the Heartland Conference Tournament semifinals. St. Mary's overcame a slow start to win 11 of its last 18 games and qualify for the HC Tournament. Two Rattlers were named All-Heartland Conference: Natalie Gamez and Charlena Rodez.
Martens was with the Rattler women's basketball program for the previous three years as an assistant coach. He helped the program produce 46 wins, a Heartland Conference Championship and a berth into the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament. Nine Rattlers were named All-Heartland Conference over those three seasons. Martens oversaw recruiting, assisted with scheduling and assisted with scouting while serving as an assistant coach for two years at St. Mary's.
Prior to his arrival in San Antonio, Martens served as assistant women's basketball coach at Lamar University in Beaumont for two seasons. He also was an assistant men's basketball coach at Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., for two years.
Martens graduated from Bethel College in 2000 with two bachelor's of science degrees, one in business administration and one in accounting. He received his master's of public administration degree from Lamar University in 2003. As an athlete, he earned all-conference and academic all-conference honors in football at Bethel. He also competed in basketball and track and field at the school. Before transferring to Bethel, he was a junior college All-American in track and field at Hutchison (Kan.) Community College.
Martens is married to the former DonLouise Meyer and they have two children, Jaden and Alexis.
Assistant Coach Chanlee Bottoms
Chanlee Bottoms' coaching style directly mirrors her old playing style -- fast-paced.
So, as the newest addition to St. Mary's coaching staff, the one-time run-and-gun point guard has quickly discovered she should fit right in working alongside head women's basketball coach Jason Martens.
Bottoms, a former student assistant at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, will enter her second season as St. Mary's new assistant women's basketball coach. She is the Lady Rattlers' recruiting coordinator in addition to overseeing the squad's strength and conditioning, coaching guard play and monitoring academics. In her first year working with Martens, Bottoms saw quick success as the Lady Rattlers enjoyed a trip to the Heartland Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
Bottoms spent the previous two seasons as the student assistant coach at UA Fort Smith, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership in May. With the Lady Lions, she was in charge of many of the areas she will oversee at St. Mary's, monitoring academics, managing the strength and conditioning program and preparing practices. UA Fort Smith went 21-5 and posted an 11-1 record against Heartland Conference opponents last season.
Bottoms, who plans to pursue her master's degree at St. Mary's, averaged 13 points, four assists and two steals as a sophomore before transferring to Henderson State to finish her career. She helped lead the Lady Lions, with whom she played two seasons, to the 2006 NJCAA Region II tournament title and to the NJCAA national tournament.
At Henderson State, she averaged 12.1 points, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game. In high school, she helped lead Alma High School to the Class 5A state championship as a senior, when she averaged 18 points per contest.
At St. Mary's, Bottoms is with yet another program with winning expectations, as the Lady Rattlers have won 20-plus games in three of Martens' seven seasons at the helm. St. Mary's went 13-16 last season, advancing to the Heartland Conference quarterfinals.
2012-13 Women's Basketball Roster
2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 Heartland Conference Champs
| No. | Name | Ht. | Yr. | Pos. | Home |
| 3 | Felicia Jacobs | 5'6" | Sr. | G | San Antonio |
| 5 | Dezirae Elias | 5'3" | Fr. | G | Chandler, Ariz. |
| 10 | Amber Polvado | 5'8" | Sr. | G | Weslaco, Texas |
| 11 | Liz Boyd | 5'7" | Sr. | G | San Antonio |
| 12 | Jackie Woods | 5'7" | Jr. | G | San Antonio |
| 13 | Mariah Lee | 5'11" | Jr. | F | Houston |
| 15 | Morgan Pullins | 6'0" | So. | F | Franklin, Mich. |
| 20 | Kyra Littlejohn | 5'6" | So. | G | Southfield, Mich. |
| 21 | Danielle Vargas | 5'5" | So. | G | Edinburg, Texas |
| 24 | Lia Kioa | 5'9" | Jr. | G | Phoenix |
| 25 | Kathryn Galindo | 6'2" | Jr. | P | San Antonio |
| 42 | Bria Bell | 5'11" | Jr. | F | Mesquite, Texas | 44 | Brushea Daniels | 6'1" | Jr. | F | Burelson, Texas |
| Head Coach: Jason Martens |
| Assistant Coach: Chan Bottoms |
2012-2013 Women's Basketball Schedule[click on score to see statistics for game when available] |
|||
November |
|||
| Sat, Nov 10 |
vs. Cameron University Bill Greehey Arena |
W 78-49 | 1 -0 -0 |
| Sun, Nov 11 |
vs. University of Minnesota-Duluth Bill Greehey Arena |
W 71-63 | 2 -0 -0 |
| Fri, Nov 16 |
at Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, Mo. |
W 49-42 | 3 -0 -0 |
| Sun, Nov 18 |
at University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, Mo. |
L 72-74 | 3 -1 -0 |
| Wed, Nov 21 |
vs. University of the Incarnate Word Bill Greehey Arena |
L 54-65 | 3 -2 -0 |
| Sat, Nov 24 |
vs. Harding University Bill Greehey Arena |
W 78-58 | 4 -2 -0 |
| Wed, Nov 28 |
vs. Tarleton State University Bill Greehey Arena |
W 77-56 | 5 -2 -0 |
December |
|||
| Sat, Dec 01 |
*vs. Texas A&M International University Bill Greehey Arena |
W 73-67 | 6 -2 -0 |
| Wed, Dec 05 |
at Texas Woman's University Denton, Texas |
W 62-51 | 7 -2 -0 |
| Mon, Dec 17 |
at Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant, Okla. |
W 94-77 | 8 -2 -0 |
| Wed, Dec 19 |
at East Central University Ada, Okla. |
L 80-83 | 8 -3 -0 |
January |
|||
| Thu, Jan 03 |
*vs. University of Texas-Permian Basin Bill Greehey Arena |
W 74-63 | 9 -3 -0 |
| Sat, Jan 05 |
*vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State University Bill Greehey Arena |
W 82-61 | 10 -3 -0 |
| Thu, Jan 10 |
*at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Fort Smith, Ark. |
W 80-60 | 11 -3 -0 |
| Sat, Jan 12 |
*at Newman University Wichita, Kan. |
W 68-58 | 12 -3 -0 |
| Thu, Jan 17 |
*vs. St. Edward's University Bill Greehey Arena |
W 63-51 | 13 -3 -0 |
| Sat, Jan 19 |
vs. McMurry University Bill Greehey Arena |
W 72-60 | 14 -3 -0 |
| Sat, Jan 26 |
at Oklahoma Christian University Edmond, Okla. |
2:00 pm | |
| Thu, Jan 31 |
*at University of Texas-Permian Basin Odessa, Texas |
5:30 pm | |
February |
|||
| Sat, Feb 02 |
*at Oklahoma Panhandle State University Goodwell, Okla. |
2:00 pm | |
| Thu, Feb 07 |
*vs. University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Bill Greehey Arena |
5:30 pm | |
| Sat, Feb 09 |
*vs. Newman University Bill Greehey Arena |
2:00 pm | |
| Thu, Feb 14 |
*at St. Edward's University Austin, Texas |
5:30 pm | |
| Sat, Feb 16 |
at McMurry University Abilene, Texas |
2:00 pm | |
| Sat, Feb 23 |
vs. Oklahoma Christian University Bill Greehey Arena |
2:00 pm | |
March |
|||
| Sat, Mar 02 |
*at Texas A&M International University Laredo, Texas |
2:00 pm | |
| * signifies Heartland Conference event | |||
StMU Women's Basketball 2011-12
Season Statistics
Game-by-Game Statistics
Game Highs and Lows
STMU /St. Mary's
Game Results
| Date | Location | Result | |
| 1/19/13 | San Antonio, Texas (Bill Greehey Arena) | St. Mary's 72, McMurry 60 | Box score |
| 1/17/13 | San Antonio, Texas (Bill Greehey Arena) | St. Mary's 63, St. Edward's 51 | Box score |
| 01/12/13 | Wichita, Kan. (Fugate Gymnasium) | St. Mary's 68, Newman 58 | Box score |
| 1/10/13 | Stubblefield Center, Fort Smith, Ark. | St. Mary's 80, UAFS 60 | Box score |
| 1/5/13 | San Antonio, Texas (Bill Greehey Arena) | St. Mary's 82, Oklahoma Panhandle S 61 | Box score |
| 1/3/13 | San Antonio, Texas (Bill Greehey Arena) | St. Mary's 74, Texas-Permian Basin 63 | Box score |
| 12/19/12 | Ada, Okla. (Kerr Activities Center) | East Central 83, St. Mary's 80 | Box score |
| 12/17/12 | Durant, OK (Bloomer Sullivan Arena) | St. Mary's 94, Southeastern Okla. 77 | Box score |
| 12/05/12 | Denton, TX (Kitty Magee Arena) | St. Mary's 62, Texas Woman's 51 | Box score |
| 12/1/12 | San Antonio, Texas (Bill Greehey Arena) | St. Mary's 73, Texas A&M International 67 | Box score |
| 11/28/12 | San Antonio, Texas (Bill Greehey Arena) | St. Mary's 77, Tarleton State 56 | Box score |
| 11/24/12 | San Antonio, Texas (Bill Greehey Arena) | St. Mary's 78, Harding 58 | Box score |
| 11/21/12 | San Antonio, Texas (Bill Greehey Arena) | Incarnate Word 65, St. Mary's 54 | Box score |
| 11/18/12 | Warrensburg, Mo./UCM Multipurpose Bldg | Central Missouri 74, St. Mary's 72 | Box score |
| 11/16/12 | Rolla, MO Bullman M-P (Billy Key Court) | St. Mary's 49, Missouri S&T 42 | Box score |
| 11/11/12 | San Antonio, Texas (Bill Greehey Arena) | St. Mary's 71, Minnesota-Duluth 63 | Box score |
| 11/10/12 | San Antonio, Texas | St. Mary's 78, Cameron 49 | Box score |
