MONTICELLO – The UAM women’s basketball team is back to an even win-loss record thanks to its 70-55 win over St. Mary’s on the opening day of the Third Annual Holiday Inn Express Classic.

The Cotton Blossoms (3-3) picked up the win shooting 49 percent from the field and by scoring 25 points off 21 STMU (5-4) turnovers.

Junior Alex Hart led all scorers in the contest with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including two three-pointers. She also had three points from the foul line to go along with her six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Junior Channon Haywood finished with her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. She also tallied a pair of assists, blocked shots and steals in her 35 minutes of action.

Sophomore LaChasity Seale chipped in with 11 points off the bench.

In addition to shooting 49 percent from the field (27-of-55), UAM shot 36 percent on three-pointers (5-of-14) and 48 percent from the foul line (11-of-23). The Lady Rattlers finished the contest shooting 35 percent from the field (20-of-57), 17 percent from three-point range (2-of-12) and 52 percent from the foul line (13-of-25). STMU outrebounded UAM 42-37, leading to 16 second-chance points.

Mareta Bailey led STMU in scoring with 16 points. Mallory Moeller and DeAnna Patterson also reached double-digits in scoring with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Cotton Blossoms return to action in the HIE Classic on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Arkansas-Fort Smith, which throttled Southern Arkansas 94-57 on Friday. UAFS brings a 7-1 record to Saturday’s matchup and has a win over UAM on its resume this season with a 78-68 decision on November 13.