AUSTIN, Texas – A handful of ties punctuated the first half of the Lone Star Conference divisional matchup at the Recreation and Athletics Center on Thursday, but the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program was outpaced after the break as St. Edward's came away with the decision at 75-55.

"I thought there were times we played well from an offensive standpoint," said head coach Michael Madrid. "We executed well and were able to get great looks, but our lack of overall consistency continues to hurt us on both ends of the floor.

"I didn't think we defended in transition or the half court very well. That along with our inability to value the ball caused us problems."

The Javelinas (3-9, 2-8 LSC) had the scored knotted at 36-36 with less than two minutes remaining in the second, but the Hilltoppers (10-5, 6-4 LSC) put a 14-3 run to start the third to take the win.

TAMUK started the scoring in the first half after junior Ravae Payne (Pearland, Texas) found sophomore Jalynn Johnson (Sugar Land, Texas) in the paint for two. SEU posted the next five points before a trey from Payne at the 6:44 mark put the contest at the first of four ties of the half with 5-5 showing on the scoreboard.

Both sides traded baskets through the remainder of the opening frame as the visitors knotted the contest at seven apiece courtesy of a layup from freshman Maeghan Palmer (Midlothian, Texas) at 6:13 before another layup from Johnson just past the midpoint set the score at 9-9. The hosts followed up with a layup from Jazmine Jackson and a three-pointer from Deijah Blanks that allowed them to maintain a slim lead through the final four minutes of the quarter as the 20-17 cushion held firm into the next stanza.

The Hilltoppers pushed their lead to five early in the second off a long-range shot from Christina Mason before back-to-back buckets from Payne and junior Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) trimmed the deficit back to one at 25-24 with 7:02 showing on the clock. The lead favored SEU for the next few minutes before a layup from Mickens and a classic three-point play from redshirt sophomore Bri-Anna Soliz (San Angelo, Texas) gave the Javelinas the lead at 31-29 with four minutes and change remaining in the second.

A 7-0 run from the hosts put the score back in their favor, just before Mickens and Soliz tied the game again at 36 with under two minutes to play, but an 8-0 run to close out the half put the Javelinas on the backend of a 44-36 score going into the locker rooms.

SEU took off at the start of the third with a 14-3 run over the first four minutes to push the lead up to 58-39 by the six-minute mark. Johnson ended the drought for the visitors with a layup and a layup but it did little to swing momentum back their way as the 60-46 lead favored the hosts going into the fourth.

TAMUK closed within 12 near the start of the final quarter with Soliz and Mickens contributing to the effort, but the Hilltoppers tallied eight straight points that ballooned the lead to 20 near the halfway point of the quarter and matched the Javelinas shot-for-shot through the rest of the frame en route to the 75-55 final.

Mickens finished with 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the floor to go with eight rebounds, coupled with one assist and one steal.

Johnson added 13 points of her own to the total behind a 6-for-13 clip alongside three rebounds, two steals, one block and one helper.

Soliz rounded out the trio in the starting lineup with seven points and six rebounds behind a perfect 5-for-5 mark at the charity stripe.

The Javelinas remain on the road on Saturday, January 18, as they face St. Mary's in San Antonio starting at 2 p.m. for another LSC divisional matchup.

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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