KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program saw a slim lead at halftime get erased on Thursday in a Lone Star Conference matchup as Oklahoma Christian used a 17-point swing in the third quarter to take the win at 65-52 in the opening weekend of league play.

"I thought we played decent for 30 of 40 minutes," said head coach Michael Madrid. "We were complacent the entire third quarter and let it get away from us. We have to be better decision-makers with the basketball.

"We turned the ball over entirely too much and didn't defend in the third. That was the difference in the game."

The Javelinas (1-2, 0-1 LSC) hit a rough patch coming out of the locker rooms and it allowed the Eagles (1-2, 1-0 LSC) to convert a three-point deficit into a 14-point cushion en route to the win.

Junior Ravae Payne (Pearland, Texas) had the hot hand early in the contest as she connected for a pair of three-pointers before five minutes had passed in the opening frame. Classmate Daisah Purnell (Kansas City, Mo.) and sophomore Jalynn Johnson (Sugar Land, Texas) added a long-range shot each as TAMUK held a 16-9 advantage heading into the second.

The hosts got within one near the start of the following stanza but the third perimeter shot from Payne kept the Eagles at bay at the 6:59 mark. She sunk a pair of layups near the end of the opening half to break a 22-22 tie as the visitors held a slim lead at 26-23 going into the break.

OC put away the first nine points of the third quarter to put the visitors in a four-point hole at 32-26 with 7:30 showing on the clock and closed the frame on a 12-1 run to set the score at 46-32 heading into the fourth. TAMUK never got within double digits of the lead as the Eagles claimed the decision at 65-52.

Payne finished with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor, including a 4-for-5 mark from beyond the arc, and added five assists and three rebounds to her total.

Senior Danielle Meador (Corpus Christi, Texas) added 12 points off the bench on a 3-for-7 clip, along with five rebounds and a pair of steals.

Johnson provided the look in the paint as she tied the game-high with eight rebounds and put away five pickpockets.

The Javelinas will continue their road swing on Saturday, November 23, with an LSC matchup against UAFS that will tipoff at 2 p.m. CT at the Stubblefield Center.

Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy. To keep up-to-date with Javelina Women's Basketball, follow the program on Facebook /JavelinaWBB or Twitter @Javelina_WBB

######