LAREDO, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program made a strong push in the second quarter against Texas A&M International on Saturday at the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building, but couldn't overcome a slow start to the second half en route to the 62-48 loss in the Lone Star Conference matchup.

"I thought this was a classic example of a team with experience versus a team without much experience," said head coach Michael Madrid. "We didn't shoot the ball very well and were below average from a defensive standpoint.

"TAMIU is a well-coached team and beat two Division I opponents, so we will have our work cut out for us again on Monday. We will regroup on Sunday and prepare for our game on Monday at home."

The Javelinas (2-1, 2-1 LSC) held a 24-21 advantage at the break over the Dustdevils (3-1, 2-1 LSC) but were held to four points in the third quarter before taking the loss.

Junior Brianna Pena (Weslaco, Texas) put away 14 points for the Blue and Gold on a 6-for-13 clip, adding three rebounds and two assists to her efforts, while senior Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) posted six points and nine rebounds.

Freshman Janessa Payne (Aledo, Texas) led the Javelinas off the bench with nine points, including a pair of shots from beyond the arc, to go with two rebounds and an assist.

A pair of free throws from Mickens and a driving layup from Pena gave TAMUK its first lead of the game early on at the 8:07 mark of the opening frame. TAMIU responded quickly with a layup from Eva Langton but was soon match by freshman Mia Rivers (College Station, Texas) to keep the Blue and Gold on top at 6-5.

The Dustdevils took hold of the momentum from there as they parleyed a one-point deficit to a nine-point lead by the end of the first with neither side finding purchase through the final two minutes of the quarter. The Javelinas found their shooting stroke early in the second after Payne sunk her first trey at the 8:43 mark and sparked a 15-2 run that resulted in a 21-17 lead for the visitors with 3:49 to play in the half.

TAMUK held a 24-21 lead to start the third but it soon disappeared as TAMIU got a layup from Langton and a three-pointer from Patrycja Jaworska in the first minute of the quarter to take the lead back at 26-24.

The blitz from the Dustdevils turned into a 17-0 run in the frame before the Javelinas finally ended their drought on a layup from freshman Rebekah Hailey (College, Station, Texas) with 1:58 remaining. The deficit remained in double digits, however, as the hosts held a 42-28 lead heading into the fourth and matched TAMUK shot-for-shot through the rest of the contest before taking the decision at 62-48.

Game two of the home-and-home is set for Monday, January 4, at the Steinke Physical Education Center with tipoff set for 5 p.m. CT.

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

######