KINGSVILLE, Texas - Behind an unprecedented 20-0 run in the third quarter, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program overcame a slow start in the LSC/RMAC Crossover matchup against Chadron State on Friday at the Steinke Physical Education Center and came away with a 58-51 win to open the 2021-22 campaign.
MICHAEL MADRID POSTGAME INTERVIEW | JAYDE TSCHRITTER POSTGAME INTERVIEW
The Javelinas (1-0) erased a 12-point, second-quarter deficit built up by the Eagles (0-1) with a blistering third stanza and hit cruise control en route to the win to start the season. The zero-points pitched by TAMUK in the third frame was the first time ever an opponent failed to record a point in a quarter since the NCAA shifted to the new format ahead of the 2015-16 season.
It took a hot minute for the Blue and Gold to get to that point as the visitors took the early lead on baskets by Jori Peters and Tatum Peterson for a 5-0 lead with four minutes elapsed. Senior Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) got the hosts on the board with a driving layup ahead of the first media timeout, but the Eagles endured the push and held a 13-6 advantage going into the second.
A trey from Ashayla Powers with 4:37 remaining in the stanza gave CSC its largest lead of the day at 26-14, just before freshman Devon Williams (Gonzales, Texas) did her part to chip away at the Eagles' cushion with a pair of free throws just past the three-minute mark of the frame. Classmate Jayde Tschritter (Corpus Christi, Texas) dropped in her first perimeter shot less than a minute later, while fellow freshman Mia Rivers (College Station, Texas) tacked on the final four Javelina points for a 27-23 score favoring Chadron State at the half.
The 20-0 third-quarter run was sparked by another triple from Tschritter to open the half. The defensive effort held the visitors to 0-for-12 from the floor and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc in the third, while junior Mia Cherry (Brock, Texas) and freshman Janessa Payne (Aledo, Texas) both found purchase from long range.
In total, Tschritter was tabbed for eight points in the run, with another four coming from Rivers, three each from Cherry and Payne, and the final two from newcomer Georgia Ohiaeri (Las Vegas, Nev.), for a sizable 43-27 lead going into the fourth. The Eagles cut the lead down to single digits in the final minutes of the game, but the Javelinas held on for their season-opening win to wrap up the first weekend of play.
Tschritter led all scorers with 15 on the game, going 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-8 from the perimeter. Rivers was the other Javelina to tab double digits in points with 14 on an identical 6-for-11 mark and added four rebounds and five assists in the process.
Mickens added seven points of her own to the total, while six each came from Cherry and Payne. Mickens and Ohiaeri both added six rebounds to their day, while five each were had by Williams and Payne.
The Javelinas head out on the road next week for a trip to Colorado as they face MSU Denver on Thursday, November 18, in Denver, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. CT at the Auraria Event Center
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