KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program was locked in a one-possession game with St. Mary's in the fourth quarter on Thursday at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Lone Star Conference action, but failed to find the winning combination en route to the 58-49 loss.

MICHAEL MADRID POSTGAME INTERVIEW

The Javelinas (3-4, 3-4 LSC) trailed by three at the final media timeout of the contest, but the Rattlers (1-4, 1-4 LSC) pulled away shortly after to take the decision.

Freshman Janessa Payne (Aledo, Texas) carried the hot hand for the hosts as she finished with 18 points on a 6-for-12 clip from beyond the arc to go with six rebounds. She matched the team's single-game high set by junior Brianna Pena (Weslaco, Texas) back in the season opener and recorded her fourth game of the year shooting over 50% from the perimeter.

Pena, meanwhile, finished her seventh straight game scoring in double figures as she finished with 15 on a 7-for-19 look from the floor, her fourth consecutive game with at least 15 points. She also added three rebounds and two assists to her total.

A lot of back-and-forth took place on the floor for most of the contest that featured seven ties and 10 lead changes. The first quarter saw StMU pull ahead with an 8-2 lead early on before TAMUK battled back and made it a 13-9 affair favoring the visitors going into the second.

Payne and Pena teamed up for back-to-back shots to start the second for the first lead of the game for the hosts at 14-13. Two more ties and a pair of lead changes not long after saw the Rattlers owning a 19-17 edge just past the media timeout before a 27-21 Javelina deficit punctuated the scoreboard heading into the locker rooms.

TAMUK battled back to start the third and finally knotted the score at 30 apiece on a mid-range jumper from junior Mia Cherry (Brock, Texas) with 5:49 remaining in the frame. It wasn't until a pair of free throws from freshman Mia Rivers (College Station, Texas) at 2:17 put the Javelinas back ahead, while a trey from Payne concluded another exchange of leads for a 38-36 cushion with one minute to go.

St. Mary's took the lead back right at the end of the third, using a three-pointer from Brianna Ford for a 41-38 favorable score. The Javelinas kept the deficit within one possession and needed a pair of shots from Pena just ahead of the media timeout to set the score at 52-49 heading into the home stretch, but ran out of gas in the waning moments as the Rattlers took home the final six points of the game.

The rematch between the two programs is set for Saturday, January 16, in San Antonio, with tip-off at 3 p.m. CT at the Bill Greehey Arena.

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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