Women's Basketball Cruises Past St. Thomas in Conference Opener

December 1, 2023

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas women's basketball team defeated the University of St. Thomas 63-43 in their conference opener on Friday, improving to 6-3 overall on the year.

The Crusaders were on fire to start the game, going 5-of-8 from the field to jump out to a 12-3 lead after five minutes.  That lead quickly became double-digits, and Dallas took a 15-point cushion into the second quarter having shot 64.3% from the field.

Dallas let their grip on the game slip a bit, as the Celts outscored them 29-27 across the second and third quarters, but it wasn't enough for St. Thomas to dig themselves out of the sizable hole they were in.  The Crusaders firmly took the reins once again in the fourth quarter, holding the Celts to just six points to win by at least 20 points for the third time this season.

Tessa Hastings (pictured) was back in form and the driving force for UD's offense, going 8-of-14 from the field (57.1%) to drop 20 points for the third time this season.

Jordan Gillespie nearly picked up her first double-double of the season, notching nine points and nine rebounds on the night.  Caroline Croft flirted with a triple-double, scoring eight points with eight assists (a new single-game high), and led all players with 11 rebounds.

Up Next

The Crusaders will host Centenary tomorrow, Dec. 2 at 6:00 pm.