RICHARDSON, Texas -  Junior guard Sarah Doherty had a career-high 23 points to propel the McMurry University women's basketball team to its second-consecutive victory, with the 78-65 win over Covenant College at the UT-Dallas Courtyard Classic. The "W" by the War Hawks (4-9) over the Scots (2-9) gave McM a 2-0 mark in the tourney to close out calendar year 2018.
 
After a sluggish start to the 2018-19 campaign – the team began the year 1-8 – McMurry has now won three of its last four contests. The only setback during that skein was a loss to nationally-ranked UT Dallas right before Christmas. McMurry's offense appears to be clicking, as well, with the back-to-back 78-point games at the UT Dallas Classic standing as the War Hawks' most points scored in a contest this season.
 
"I thought we played very well considering we were just coming back from Christmas break," Doherty said. "Starting off 2-0 (after the break) feels great because our last game before the break didn't play out how we wanted."
 
As for her personal mark, Doherty did not even have it on her radar screen during the game. "I wasn't really focused on how many points I was scoring," Doherty explained. "I was just feeling how the team was playing and going off of that."
 
Doherty's effort was her first-ever 20-point collegiate game (her previous best was 19 versus UT-Tyler in 2017-18). Doherty hit 8-of-13 from the floor versus the Scots, including the second-most three-point baskets in her career, going 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.  She was 2-for-2 from the free throw line, while also grabbing two rebounds, blocking two shots, passing off for two assists and making three steals.
 
Backcourt-mate London Weilert added 18 points, also having an impressive 7-for-10 shooting day from the floor. Weilert also had three steals, as the War Hawks' team rang up 13 thefts on Covenant and forced 20 turnovers.
 
Junior forward Skyler Reyna rolled up her third-consecutive double-double, booking 13 points and grabbing a game-leading 13 rebounds. It marked Reyna's seventh double-double of the season and 25th of her McMurry career.
 
Junior guard Isabel Carrion also matched her single-game high with eight assists in the win (she also dished off eight helps earlier this season versus Ozarks).  Carrion had a game-leading four steals, while pulling down a pair of rebounds, as well.
 
Freshman Savannah Johnson had eight points and snared seven boards. Dominique Machuca added six points and Brittany Rodgers two, to round out the War Hawks' offense.
 
"We are continuing to show improvement as we prepare for the second half of conference play," McM Head Coach Brittany Densman-Roes assessed. "Today, we had outstanding play from our point guard, Sarah, and it was nice to see her knock down big shots in key moments of the game. She is capable of putting up big numbers for us and we will need that the next few weeks."
 
As a team, McMurry shot better than 48 percent (29-60) from the field and was a red hot 52.6 percent (10-19) from long distance. McM held a slight rebounding edge, as well, 37-34.
 
Covenant led after one quarter, 23-21, but the War Hawks took a 42-37 lead into the halftime locker room. Another strong third period allowed McM to up its advantage to 64-55 heading into the final stanza.
 
McMurry will be idle until it returns to American Southwest Conference play on January 3 at nationally-ranked East Texas Baptist University.