SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program opened up the season on the road this evening against Black Hills State but came away on the backend of a 65-34 decision at the Donald E. Young Center.

"We played a very talented and experienced team tonight," said first-year head coach Michael Madrid. "We put ourselves in position at halftime to make a run but came out flat and couldn't match their intensity.

"We're looking forward to playing Chadron State tomorrow."

The Javelinas (0-1) kept within striking distance of the Yellowjackets (1-0) throughout the first half but were limited to 10 points in the second half en route to the loss.

Both sides came out swinging early in the first quarter with junior Ravae Payne (Pearland, Texas) dropping in the first two-point bucket of the game at the 8:46 mark. A driving layup from senior Brynae Thompson (Houston, Texas) gave the Javelinas a three-point cushion at 5-2 with 6:53 showing on the clock, but a trey from the Yellowjackets' Ashlee Beacom knotted the score at five apiece 15 seconds later.

The squads swapped shots yet again over the next minute with a jumper from Thompson putting the visitors up 9-8 near the midpoint of the quarter, but the hosts closed out the frame on a 9-2 run for a 17-11 advantage going into the second.

The Blue and Gold ended up trailing the rest of the way as they came within four of the 'Jackets after senior Danielle Meador (Corpus Christi, Texas) drained the midrange jumper at the start of the second quarter, but BHSU built up a double-digit lead just past the five-minute mark before the Javelinas ended the half on a 9-3 run for a 31-24 deficit heading into the locker rooms.

The hosts kept the pressure up through the third quarter as they outscored TAMUK 18-3 in the frame. The final stanza was more of the same as the Yellowjackets pulled away in the quarter at 16-7 to finalize the score at 65-34.

Thompson led all scorers with 13 points on a 60% clip. She drained six shots from the field, including one from beyond the arc, for her first double-digit outing of the year.

Newcomer Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) poured in eight points of her own in her first outing in the blue and gold along with three rebounds.

The Javelinas continue their swing in the LSC/RMAC Crossover tomorrow with a matchup against Chadron State starting at 3 p.m. CT in Chadron, Neb.

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 @TAMUKwbb

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