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PENSACOLA, Fla.  – Going into Saturday's game with St. Mary's, UWF head coach Stephanie Yelton knew it would be a battle to the end. That's the way it played out but with the Argonauts on the wrong end of the ledger when the final horn sounded, dropping their first game of the season, 78-73, at the UWF Field House.
 
No. 22 UWF (5-1) shot 41 percent from the floor and had four players score in double figures for the sixth time this season, but struggled to keep the StMU players out of the paint, allowing 46 points in the paint while scoring 34.
 
Senior Katie Bobos had her best game of the young season, finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds. She moved into tenth place on the UWF career scoring list as she increased her total to 978. She also climbed to third on the all-time rebounds list with 684.
 
Junior Toni Brewer posted her sixth double-double with 12 points and 15 boards. Senior Alex Coyne had 10 assists - her fourth 10-plus assist game in two seasons at UWF - to go along with eight points and three steals. Sophomore Katie O'Neal made three 3-pointers on her way to 13 points, while freshman Imani Mulmore played a career-high 28 minutes off the bench and added 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. St. Mary's (8-1) extended its winning streak to six games thanks to a 48 percent shooting game. The Rattlers got all of their scoring from their five starters while four combined for all but two points. Kiara Etheridge had a game-high 25 points to go along with 13 rebounds for her third-consecutive double-double. Guards Arysia Porter and Labraile Fields had 19 each. Fields made her first five shots and scored 13 points in the game's opening 7:08 before sitting the final 11 minutes of the half on the bench with foul trouble.
 
It was Fields who spearheaded the Rattlers in the early going, helping the visitors from San Antonio score 11-straight and run out to a 23-8 lead on her third triple of the period. But UWF battled back and closed the quarter on a 12-1 run to get within 24-20 at the break. Brewer had six in the stretch, while Bobos started the run with a 3-point play and Coyne had the first of her two 3-pointers in the final minute.
 
The teams went back-and-forth for much of the second quarter as UWF took its first lead since the opening minute of the contest, as O'Neal drained a trey to give the Argos a 35-34 advantage. A Brewer jumper with 35 seconds to play sent the teams into the locker rooms with UWF holding a 37-35 margin.
 
The lead changed hands three times in the first 2:40 of the third quarter. StMU used an 11-3 run to stretch its advantage to 49-42 with 5:43 in the frame.
 
The game had 11 lead changes and five ties with StMU using a 6-0 run to turn a 69-66 deficit into a 72-69 lead with 2:15 to play. The Argos were only able to manage two Bobos baskets in their final six possessions.
 
UWF will be off next week for finals before opening Gulf South Conference play at home on Monday, Dec. 12 against Valdosta State. Tip-off in the women's-men's doubleheader is set for 5:30 p.m.