KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program was locked in a close battle with UT Permian Basin late on Friday at the Steinke Physical Education Center, but couldn't find the winning combination and ended up on the backend of a 65-60 decision in the Lone Star Conference matchup.

The Javelinas (2-3, 2-3 LSC) were within one possession of the Falcons (2-3, 1-3 LSC) in the final minute but lost out on the free throw line as the visitors closed out the match with six free throws in the final 25 seconds of the game en route to the loss.

Junior transfer Brianna Pena (Weslaco, Texas) kept up her torrid pace from the field as she finished with 16 points on a 5-for-10 mark to go with six assists. She was matched by freshman Jayde Tschritter (Corpus Christi, Texas) who poured in 16 off the bench behind a 6-for-10 clip, including a 4-for-8 rate from beyond the arc, alongside three steals and two rebounds.

Senior Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) recorded her first double-digit rebounding effort of the season with 10, five each on the offensive and defensive side. It was only the third time she had recorded at least 10 rebounds while in a Javelina uniform as she finished with 10 on November 9, 2019, in a 63-57 win over Chadron State before she posted a TAMUK-high 11 against Tarleton in the 2020 season finale.

Both teams traded baskets in the early goings as neither side held a lead greater than three points in the first eight minutes of the game. A three-pointer from freshman Janessa Payne (Aledo, Texas) and a pair of free throws from Pena pushed the Javelinas ahead at 18-14 with 1:36 on the clock as the hosts eventually held a four-point edge at 20-16 going into the second.

The lead for either team stayed within one possession for the majority of the second, as the and-one from UTPB's Lauren Stallworth for a 22-20 Falcon lead at the 8:27 mark was quickly matched by a three-pointer from freshman Rebekah Hailey (College Station, Texas) just 20 seconds later. Another trey from Tschritter on the next possession gave the Blue and Gold another four-point lead, but it was soon erased by back-to-back buckets from the Falcons.

The rest of the second ended up with a 28-28 tie in the final minute but Tschritter came through once again with a steal and a fastbreak layup with 24 seconds to play, and a missed shot from UTPB resulted in a buzzer-beater three from the Corpus Christi native to put the Javelinas up 33-28 heading into the locker rooms.

TAMUK started the third off strong with Mickens, Pena and Tschritter teaming up for a quick burst that put the hosts up 39-30 by the six-minute mark. The lead summarily shrank over the next three possession for the visitors as UTPB put away a jumper, a three-pointer and a layup that cut the cushion to 39-37 with 4:47 to play in the quarter.

The Blue and Gold held on to the lead over the next few minutes of the frame at 47-42 with 1:55 remaining, but an 8-0 Falcon run swung momentum the other way as the Javelinas eventually faced a 50-48 deficit heading into the fourth.

The final quarter was mired by a slow start from both programs as neither side found the bottom of the net in the first two-plus minutes of play. Tschritter finally ended the drought with another three-ball at 7:37 for a 51-50 Javelina edge, but the Falcons took the lead back on a layup from Kim Best on the next trip down the floor at 52-51.

The lead never went back to the Blue and Gold from that point, as TAMUK was forced to play catch-up from there on out. Pena put the score at 59-58 with 27 seconds left before four straight free throws from Avalon Munoz and Karyssa Jackson put the lead out of reach for good ahead of the 65-60 final.

The second round of the matchup against the Falcons is set for Saturday, January 9, with tip-off at 2 p.m. CT at the SPEC.

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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