CHADRON, Neb. – A strong run from the end of the first half through the start of the second secured a road win for the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program on Saturday at the Chicoine Events Center with a 63-57 decision over Chadron State to close out the LSC/RMAC Crossover.

"What a great team win," said head coach Michael Madrid, as he recorded his first career win at the helm of the Blue and Gold. "Extremely proud of our team and their toughness today. Maeghan [Palmer], Lidia [Guiral], Treazure [Mouton], Jalynn [Johnson], Madison [Lucas], and Anastacia [Mickens] all played early minutes in the first half and provided the spark we needed.

"Most importantly, we got better this week. I'm excited to get home and prepare for our next opportunity."

The Javelinas (1-1) flipped a nine-point deficit near the start of the second quarter into a one-point advantage at the break over the Eagles (1-1) and used a 12-0 run at the start of the third to build a cushion en route to the win.

A sluggish start to the first quarter was in order as CSC built up a 13-4 advantage by the 6:58 mark. A pair of jumpers from senior Lidia Guiral (Fraga, Spain) and sophomore Jalynn Johnson (Sugar Land, Texas) kept the Javelinas within nine at 18-9, but the hosts kept the lead at double digits going into the second at 23-13.

A pair of layups from senior Brynae Thompson (Houston, Texas) bookended a made free throw by Chadron State that started moving momentum to the visitors. A jumper and a driving layup from freshman Madison Lucas (Houston, Texas) officially knotted the score at 25-25, while Johnson, Lucas, and junior Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) pushed the TAMUK lead to 31-25 for an 18-2 run.

Chadron State found a rhythm through the remainder of the half, but the Javelinas held a slim lead at the break with the 36-35 score favoring the visitors.

The 12-0 run to start the second half was ignited by a trey from Thompson early in the stanza and capped off on a shot from the charity stripe courtesy of Johnson. The Eagles worked back into the match by matching TAMUK shot-for-shot through the rest of the quarter as the scored favored the visitors at 52-43 going into the fourth.

Chadron State got within six early in the fourth, but two separate long-range jumpers from senior Danielle Meador (Corpus Christi, Texas) ensured the hosts stayed at arms' length. A desperation layup from CSC's Taryn Foxen put the score at 63-57 with less than a minute remaining, but the Eagles failed to get closer as TAMUK came away with the win.

Johnson led the Javelinas with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting off the bench to go with three rebounds and three blocks.

Thompson added 14 points behind a 6-for-17 clip along with one rebound and one assist.

Meador poured in nine points of her own, all from long range, and brought in nine rebounds as she missed out on the double-double.

The Javelinas remain on the road next week as they pay a visit to Provo, Utah, on Thursday, November 14, for a contest against BYU as their second Division-I matchup of the year.

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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