SAN ANTONIO, Texas (January 25, 2025) – The University of Texas Permian Basin women's basketball team built itself an eight-point cushion after the second quarter and maintained at least a three-possession lead the rest of the way en route to a 74-54 win at St. Mary's University on Saturday.

Avalon Munoz beat the buzzer with a layup to end the first quarter and pull the Falcons to within one (15-14), and then she gave UTPB its first lead since the score was 2-0 with a pair of free throws to make it 22-21 with 6:42 left in the second quarter.

Munoz would follow with a jumper on the next possession, and then a layup by Khiara Flugence gave UTPB a five-point lead (26-21) and ended a 9-0 Falcons' run that had started with a 3-pointer by Makala Bingley.

Later on in the second quarter, a string of three 3-pointers by Taysha Rushton, Bingley and then Rushton again were followed by a layup by Munoz to finish an 11-0 run and give UTPB a 13-point lead (39-26) with just over a minute left before halftime.

UTPB outscored StMU 25-16 in the second quarter and shot 61.5 percent (8-13) from the field and 4-for-8 from three in the period.

UTPB's lead fluctuated between eight and 13 points during the third quarter, and after leading by nine points (56-47) entering the fourth quarter, Natalie Milwood opened up the final period with an and-one. Her teammate at the center position, Flugence, had successfully converted two and-ones earlier in the first half.

After Milwood's and-one, Bingley scored a nice hook shot from just outside the paint and then assisted on a 3-pointer by Morgan Helgesen to make it an 8-0 Falcons' run in the first minute and a half of the fourth quarter and give UTPB its largest lead of the game to that point at 17 points (64-47).

In the end, it was UTPB's two big scoring runs in the second quarter that made the difference while the run to start the fourth quarter helped make it a double-digit Falcons' lead for the entirety of the final period.

In addition, the Falcons' defense closed the game by holding the Rattlers to just 2-for-18 shooting (11.1 percent) in the fourth quarter and a 20.6 percent mark for the second half.

For the game, the Falcons had eight steals on 18 Rattlers' turnovers, leading to a 17-6 advantage in points off turnovers.

Bingley and Rushton led the Falcons with 19 and 16 points, respectively, both on 50 percent shooting from the field to go along with three 3-pointers and three assists. For Bingley, it was her second time scoring 19 points in the last three games and was her third-straight game with at least three made 3-pointers while Rushton got back into her shooting groove after coming off the bench for the first time this season. Last season, it was Bingley who scored 21 points in the Flacons' 73-36 win over the Rattlers.

Munoz matched Bingley and Rushton with three assists and added 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the free throw line. Munoz now finds herself just two points away from the 1,000-career point threshold.

Flugence was the fourth Falcon in double-figure scoring with 10 points while adding a team-high seven rebounds.

With UTPB's 39-36 advantage on the boards, it was only the second time this season that StMU was out-rebounded in a Lone Star Conference game. The Rattlers came into the game ranked second in the conference and 41st in the nation in rebound margin (+6.5) and 49th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (28.1).

StMU's 32.8 field goal percentage for the game was the second-lowest allowed by the Falcons this season in conference play.

Lastly, UTPB shot 12-for-14 (85.7 percent) from the free throw line, its second-highest percentage of the season.

With its fifth-straight win over the Rattlers, UTPB (10-9 overall, 8-5 LSC), which began the day tied for fifth place in the Lone Star Conference, was able to separate itself from the eighth-place team in StMU (10-8, 6-6), which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end and fell at home for just the second time in conference action this season.

"We needed a win," spoke Head Coach Rae Boothe. "It was great to see our players competing at a high level and having fun."

The Falcons are back in Odessa, Texas, next week for a pair of home games against Western New Mexico University (Thursday, Jan. 30) and Sul Ross State University (Saturday, Feb. 1). The Falcons defeated both teams by 29 points earlier this season.