Miami Gardens, Fla. – Kicking off their 2025-26 season on Friday evening, the St. Thomas University Women's Basketball Team scored on the opening possession and never trailed against visiting University of the Virgin Island in an 83-40 victory.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: St. Thomas 83, Virgin Island 40
Records: St. Thomas (1-0), Virgin Island (0-1)
Records: STU leads 8-0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Bobcats scored the opening 11 points of the contest, keeping the Bucs off the scoreboard until a layup made it 11-2 with 6:34 remaining in the first quarter. STU held the visitors without a run of consecutive baskets for the entire first quarter, heading into the second with a 21-11 advantage.
• UVI used back-to-back baskets after the Bobcats opened the second quarter with a layup to cut the deficit to single digits at 23-15 with 8:15 remaining in the second quarter. STU responded with a layup to pull ahead 25-15, using a 7-0 to extend their lead to 32-17 with 3:58 remaining in the half. The two sides traded the final four baskets with the Bobcats connecting on one triple to create a 37-21 halftime score.
• Nearly recreating their start to the first half, the Bobcats scored the initial 10 points of the second half  while holding the Bucs without a run of consecutive baskets until a 5-0 spurt made it 55-28 with 2:31 remaining in the third quarter. STU ended the quarter on a 7-0 run to boast a 62-28 advantage.
• STU carried their run into the fourth quarter with 11-unanswered points before four-straight UVI points made it 74-32 with 4:31 left to play. The Bobcats kept the lead above 38 for the rest of the night.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Samantha Bautista led the Bobcats in her STU debut with 17 points on 6-9 shooting, 5-7 from distance, while adding three steals.
• Ja'Nya Ferguson pulled down eight rebounds.
• Morgan Taylor dished out four assists.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• STU went 31-78 from the field, 12-34 from beyond the arc and 9-14 from the free throw line. UVI went 11-51, 2-11 from three-point range and 16-24 from the free throw line.
• St. Thomas held a 53-41 advantage in rebounds.
• The Bobcats forced 28 turnovers, resulting in 28 points. The visitors scored eight points off 13 turnovers.
• STU recorded 16 steals and five blocks versus 10 steals and three blocks for the Bucs.

 
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats take on sixth-ranked Freed Hardeman to kick off the UHSP Tip-Off Classic on Friday, Oct. 31 with tip-off set for 6:00 pm.