KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program held an early lead at the Steinke Physical Education Center on Monday but couldn't hold on for the decision as Texas A&M International came out ahead at 55-50 in Lone Star Conference action.

POSTGAME INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL MADRID

 The Javelinas (2-2, 2-2 LSC) were mired in a scoring drought through most of the second quarter that allowed the Dustdevils (4-1, 3-1 LSC) to take hold of the lead and endure a second-half push en route to the final.

Junior transfer Brianna Pena (Weslaco, Texas) recorded her fourth straight game scoring in double figures as she posted 17 on an 8-for-17 effort from the floor to go with five rebounds and four assists. She was aided by freshman Janessa Payne (Aledo, Texas) who posted 12 points in her first career start on a perfect 4-for-4 mark from beyond the arc.

Junior Mia Cherry (Brock, Texas) was the final member of the Blue and Gold to reach double digit scoring as she posted 11 to go with six rebounds, her third such game eclipsing 10 points from the floor.

TAMIU owned a 5-2 cushion at the 6:58 mark of the opening quarter before three consecutive triples from Pena, Payne and freshman Rebekah Hailey (College Station, Texas) put TAMUK up by six. Pena tacked on another midrange jumper past the two-minute mark, while Cherry buried a fastbreak layup that gave the hosts a 15-13 lead heading into the second.

The second quarter saw the visitors put up the first 13 points of the frame that flipped the script on the Javelinas, now staring at a 26-15 deficit with less than three minutes remaining in the half, before Pena ended the drought with a jumper at the 2:26 mark. She had the last say in the stanza for either side, however, as her driving layup with 1:07 on the clock set the score at 27-21 going into the locker rooms.

A quick six-point burst from the Javelinas tied the contest at 27 apiece early in the third as the Dustdevils began trading shots to keep the score tied at 29-29 at the 5:41 mark. TAMIU ended up with 12 of the final 14 points of the quarter, unfortunately, with a 41-30 cushion heading into the fourth.

TAMUK eventually trimmed the deficit back to five midway through the final period, as a 45-40 score graced the scoreboard just beyond the five-minute mark. The gap was cut to four not long after at 49-45 with 2:42 remaining, but the Javelinas failed to get over the hill as the Dustdevils held on for the decision at 55-50.

The Blue and Gold return to the SPEC later this week to take on UT Permian Basin on Friday, January 8, with tipoff at 4 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

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