FORT SMITH, Ark. – An eight-point cushion at the break wasn't enough to secure the win for the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program on Saturday at the Stubblefield Center as UAFS outscored the visitors 24-11 in the final quarter to claim the decision at 57-48.

"I thought we defended will throughout the game but we need to learn how to finish possessions with block outs and rebounds," said head coach Michael Madrid. "Offensively, we haven't figured out how to value possessions and the ball.

"I thought we beat ourselves with a poor offensive performance and decision making."

The Javelinas (1-3, 0-2 LSC) started the game on an 8-2 run ignited by a driving layup from junior Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) and maintained a 15-point gap heading into the second. The Lions (3-3, 1-1 LSC) cut the lead in half at 8-4 with 6:20 showing on the clock, but a layup from junior Ravae Payne (Pearland, Texas) kicked off an 11-0 run to close out the frame for a 19-4 cushion.

Both sides traded buckets through the majority of the second before a trey from UAFS's Ashanti Eden cut the lead to eight points as TAMUK held a 25-17 advantage with 4:20 remaining in the half. A pair of layups from senior Brynae Thompson (Houston, Texas) kept the hosts at arms' length with the Javelinas ahead 29-21 at the break that stopped a 7-0 UAFS scoring run to end the half.

TAMUK owned a five-point lead early in the third courtesy of a fastbreak layup from junior Daisah Purnell (Kansas City, Mo.), but a three-pointer from Dachelle Terry and a driving layup from Tamera Gulley erased the lead entirely at 33-33 with 1:43 remaining in the third.

A pair of layups from Thompson ensured the Javelinas remained on top going into the fourth as she set the score at 37-33 through three quarters.

An 11-0 run from UAFS flipped the script on the game as the Lions took over the lead by the 8:04 mark off a layup from Mar'Shalia Lollie and never looked back. TAMUK came within one possession of the lead as a driving layup from senior Danielle Meador (Corpus Christi, Texas) with 2:28 showing on the clock, and again less than a minute later after freshman Maeghan Palmer (Midlothian, Texas) found the bottom of the basket, but each time the Lions had the response ready thanks to layups from Lollie and Eden before taking the contest at 57-48.

Thompson led all scorers with 19 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the floor along with a pair of rebounds and a steal.

Sophomore Jalynn Johnson (Sugar Land, Texas) brought home her first double-double of the year as she finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the contest.

The Javelinas will head out on the road early next week as they face UTRGV in an exhibition matchup on Tuesday, November 26, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. CT in Edinburg, Texas.

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

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