ABILENE – McMurry Women's Basketball closed out the 2024 schedule with a 64-50 victory over St. Mary's (Minn.) on Sunday.
 
"St. Mary's is a tough team," said McMurry head coach Drew Long. "They play extremely hard and are very well-coached. It took our girls a little bit to find their grove but eventually we settled in. I thought our defense in the second half was the difference. We were more active. Played with high hands and rebounded it well. A lot of credit to St. Mary's for how they played and battled all afternoon. We were never able to really separate from them. But proud of our team for finding a way to get a win."
 
The War Hawks completed the 2024 calendar with a 6-1 mark with the lone setback being a one-point defeat.
 
Half the games ties and lead changes came in a 17-17 first quarter with the Cardinals able to build a pair of four-point leads.
 
McMurry shot 56 percent from the field in the second quarter and took the lead for good. Kylie Flippin and Emily Holland sank three-pointers and Ashton Garner added a layup for an 8-0 run to start the second period. The War Hawks had a 39-33 lead at the half.
 
The McMurry defense held St. Mary under 25 percent shooting in the second half but McMurry didn't get its first double-digit lead until Garner scored on a fast break for a 54-44 lead with 8:10 to go.
 
Flippin led five double-figure War Hawk scorers with 15 points. Helana Chadwick added 11 points and Holland, Aryana Cleveland and Garner tacked on 10 each. Chadwick and Holland had four assists each.
 
Chadwick led with four steals and eight rebounds while Flippin and Cleveland added seven boards apiece.
 
McMurry returns to action on Jan. 3, hosting Rhodes College at 4 p.m.