KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program faced a tough challenge today at the Steinke Physical Education Center as No. 5/5 A&M-Commerce came away with a 72-54 decision in the Lone Star Conference matchup to close out the weekend of action.

"I'm extremely proud of our effort," said head coach Michael Madrid. "I thought our team battled and played extremely tough. We had some mental breakdowns and turnovers that led to points and allowed them to go on some runs. They're a very good team and they deserve their ranking."

The Javelinas (3-8, 2-7 LSC) faced an eight-point deficit at the half but were plagued by a slow start to the third as the Lions (15-0, 9-0 LSC) pulled away for the win.

TAMUC opened the contest on a 12-3 run before sophomore Bridget Upton (George West, Texas) ended the drought for the hosts with a trey at the 2:14 mark of the first. A three-ball from junior Ravae Payne (Pearland, Texas) and a layup from classmate Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) to close out the frame kept TAMUK within arms' reach at 16-11 going into the second.

The Lions quickly pushed their lead back to double digits in the following quarter with an 8-0 run at the start before sophomore Jalynn Johnson (Sugar Land, Texas) broke the run with a mid-range jumper at 7:16. The hosts eventually whittled the deficit down to single digits late in the stanza after redshirt senior Angelica Wall (Pueblo, Colo.) put away a long-range shot and a driving layup by the 1:08 mark but the visitors ended the half at the line for a 31-23 score going into the locker rooms.

The third quarter saw the Javelinas limited to six points while the Lions methodically pushed their cushion to 25 with a 54-29 lead going into the final quarter. A 10-0 run to start the fourth ignited by freshman Maeghan Palmer (Midlothian, Texas) at the line for two cut the deficit back to 54-39, but the visitors endured the push and kept TAMUK at a distance for the 72-54 final.

Payne finished with a game-high 21 on 8-for-13 shooting for her fourth game of the year with at least 20 points. She also added four rebounds and four helpers to her total as she led the Javelinas in assists for the 10th time this season.

Johnson added nine points of her own on a 4-for-9 clip, while Upton and Wall each posted five. Mickens, meanwhile, led the team in rebounds with seven to go with one block and one steal.

"We are getting better," added Madrid, "and that's one of the things that is exciting. What we talked about that in the locker room today is that, as the year goes on, we're going to beat some teams down the road and we're excited about the growth we've had up until this point. We're looking forward to getting better."

The Javelinas take to the road next week as they visit St. Edward's on Thursday, January 16, before they take on St. Mary's on Saturday, January 23.

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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