MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – St. Thomas (15-7, 11-1 TSC) defeated Coastal Georgia (15-6, 10-3 TSC) 68-62 in a thriller Saturday afternoon at the Fernandez Family Center.  With the win, the Bobcats extended their win streak to six games and improved to 11-1 in Sun Conference competition.

The game, billed as the Sun Conference Women's Basketball Game of the Week, lived up to the hype as the Bobcats came back from a 16-point deficit to capture the victory and remain in sole possession of second place in the conference standings.

Katie Rienas led all players with 21 points, making 4-of-6 three-pointers and shooting 7-of-13 from the field overall.  Samara Auguste scored 19 points to go along with six assists, five rebounds and three steals.  Keiana Brooks and Ebony Griffin each recorded double-doubles with each player posting identical stat lines of 10 points and 10 rebounds.  Kristina Bugarksi added seven rebounds to go along with four assists and four points.

Coastal Georgia controlled most of the first half, running out to a 16-12 lead after the first quarter before building a lead of 16 points with 2:25 to play in the second quarter.  Down 35-19, a jumper by Janelle Silver and a layup by Brooks cut the deficit to 12 points at intermission.

Trailing 35-23 at halftime, the Bobcats fell behind by 15 as the third quarter opened with a Mariner three-pointer.  The Bobcats then went on a 18-4 run capped off by a layup by Brooks on an assist by Ebony Griffin go up 43-42, STU's lead since early in the first quarter.  The Mariners battled back however and the Bobcats found themselves trailing 53-50 after three periods.

After building a five point early in the fourth quarter, the Bobcats found themselves tied with the Mariners 62-62 with four minutes to play.  STU then locked down defensively, shutting out CCG over the final four minutes while finishing the game on a 6-0 run as Auguste hit a layup, Rienas sank two free throws and Griffin hit a jumper down the stretch.

In total, the Bobcats outscored the Mariners 45-27 in the second half.  Rienas and Auguste scored 25 of their combined 40 points in the second half.

St. Thomas returns to Sun Conference play with a road game at crosstown rival Johnson & Wales on Thursday in North Miami before another home conference affair at the Fernandez Family Center vs. Keiser on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m.