MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – St. Thomas (7-6) defeated Talladega (9-7) 77-73 in the Shula's Hotel Classic on Saturday night at the Fernandez Family Center.  With the win, the Bobcats have now won six of their last seven contests.

Katie Rienas led all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.  Samara Auguste scored 21 points, shooting 5-of-8 from the field, 9-of-11 from the free throw line and making each of her two three-point attempts.  Seventeen of Auguste's 21 points came in the second half.  Ebony Griffin scored 11 points and registered four steals, while Chakari Merritt led all players with 10 rebounds to go along with eight points.  Keiana Brooks recorded a game-high five steals.

With the game tied 73-73 with less than 30 seconds remaining in the contest, Auguste pulled down back-to-back offensive rebounds followed by a put-back jumper to put the Bobcats ahead by two points. 

On the ensuing possession, Griffin made a huge defensive play, drawing a charge and forcing a Talladega turnover in the paint.  Auguste then hit two free throws in the final seconds to ice the victory for the Bobcats.

STU led 24-20 after the first period, then was outscored 18-12 in the second quarter to trail by two points at halftime.  The third quarter was an impressive display on both ends for the Bobcats as STU made 4-of-4 three-point attempts, while holding Talladega to 18% shooting from the field in the period.

St. Thomas returns to action with Sun Conference play resuming on Thursday, Jan. 4 with a road game at Webber International in Babson Park Fla.  Tip off time for the conference tilt is set for 5:30 p.m.