SAN ANTONIO - The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program wiped away a double-digit deficit to East Central on Saturday at the Bill Greehey Arena to come away with a 73-68 win on the second day of the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic.

"I thought we had a lot of players step up throughout the second half and hit some big shots," said head coach Michael Madrid. "We got into an offensive rhythm and started to see the floor better.

"East Central is an extremely tough team to defend. They run their offense well and make plenty of shots. I'm proud of our effort on both ends. We will build off this and get ready for the next team on the schedule."

The Javelinas (4-2) got 13 points in the second half from junior Brianna Pena (Weslaco, Texas) in her second game back to pick up the decision over the Tigers (3-1). Pena was one of four from the Blue and Gold to score in double figures on the day.

ECU picked up seven of the first nine points of the game by the six-minute mark of the opening stanza. TAMUK managed to tie the contest at 13 apiece with 1:58 left in the first on the third consecutive three-pointer from freshman Jayde Tschritter (Corpus Christi, Texas) before a fast break basket from Kennedy Cummings gave the Tigers a 16-15 lead heading into the second.

The Javelinas faced their largest deficit of the day just past the seven-minute mark of the frame after ECU rattled off a 9-0 run for a 30-18 advantage with 6:46 left in the half. The Blue and Gold responded with the final eight points of the quarter as the Tigers were held scoreless for a 30-26 score heading into the locker rooms.

TAMUK trimmed the led to one possession early in the third but still played catchup through the period. ECU pushed its lead to 50-42 with 3:15 on the clock but the Javelinas got seven points from Pena to close out the stanza for a 52-49 deficit heading into the fourth.

Pena put away a pair of shots from the stripe before she poured in a driving layup and a classic three-point play to round out the quarter.

The Javelinas saw their first lead of the second half come off a turnover as junior Mia Cherry (Brock, Texas) swiped the ball and found freshman Mia Rivers (College Station, Texas) in transition. Rivers found senior Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) converging on the paint who put away the basket for a slim 53-52 lead just past the nine-minute mark.

ECU erased the lead on a trey from Kate Ogle and a pair of free throws from Izzy Cummins, but Rivers and sophomore Georgia Ohiaeri (Las Vegas, Nev.) tied it back up as each drained two from the stripe before Cherry drained the perimeter shot for a 62-59 cushion just past the midpoint of the quarter.

The Tigers managed to tie the game on another three-pointer from Cummings, but another two freebies from Ohiaeri on the next possession gave the Javelinas the lead for good. ECU cut the lead down to two in the final minute on a trey from Madison Rehl, but both Cherry and Ohiaeri stepped up to the line and put the game on ice for the win.

Pena's 13 points off the bench came on a 5-for-9 clip from the field and another three from the free throw line. She also added a pair of helpers and a steal in the win.

Tschritter led the Javelinas with 15 points on 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and a perfect 3-for-3 at the line. 12 of her points came in the first half as she added four rebounds and a pickpocket.

Ohiaeri finished with 12 points, eight of which came from the stripe, along with a team-high eight rebounds and two steals. Rivers rounded out the quartet with 11 points to go with three rebounds and two assists.

The Javelinas return home next week as they host UT Permian Basin in a non-conference matchup on December 2 at the Steinke Physical Education Center with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. CT for the Faculty Appreciation Game.

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