November 24, 2008
San Antonio – St. Mary’s University will host the “Double the Madness” celebration, a combination of men’s and women’s basketball games and student organization events, starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Bill Greehey Arena.
The event will start at 5 p.m. with a tailgate party in front of the main entrance to Bill Greehey Arena. The tailgate is free to everyone and will feature food, drinks and a performance by the St. Mary’s cheerleaders. The women’s basketball team (3-1 overall) will tip-off their first home game of the season at 5:30 p.m. The defending Heartland Conference Champions will face Huston-Tillotson University. The men’s team (3-2) will take on Texas A&M University-Kingsville following the women’s game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Throughout the night there will be activities for St. Mary’s students, including free t-shirts, contests, promotions and performances by the cheerleaders, dance team and Rattler Band. Tickets for the games are $8 for reserved seats, $7 for general admission and $3 for non-St. Mary’s students with a valid ID and free for St. Mary’s students with a valid ID.
The women’s basketball team brings a 3-1 overall record into Tuesday’s game and has won 27 of its last 28 regular season games. They are coming off a 67-63 win against Southeastern Oklahoma State University Saturday on the road. 2008 Heartland Conference Player of the Year, Natalie Gamez (Sr., San Antonio) leads the way for the Rattlers, averaging 18.0 points per game this season. Natalie Jones (Sr., Little Rock, Ark.) is averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
The men’s basketball team is riding a three-game win streak after an 83-48 win over Sul Ross State University on Saturday. They will play regional rival Texas A&M University-Kingsville for the second time in a week, starting at 7:30 p.m. The Rattlers defeated TAMUK 56-51 last Wednesday in Kingsville. Nick Morey (Sr., Belpre, Ohio) is leading the team, averaging 12.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this season. Marlon Smith (Fr., San Antonio) is second on the team in scoring with 11.8 points and second on the team with 6.4 rebounds per contest.