AUSTIN, Texas - A late push from the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball program fell short of the mark against St. Edward's on Thursday at the Recreation and Athletics Center in a 72-64 loss in Lone Star Conference action.

"That is as disappointed as I have been in our performance," said head coach Michael Madrid. "I don't know if we could have played any worse offensively. We didn't move the ball, didn't find the open player and played individually.

"I have to do a better job preparing them to play and clearly I didn't do that. We have an opportunity to get better tomorrow and get back to our roots. We will play better on Saturday."

The Javelinas (6-7, 6-7 LSC) cut a 10-point deficit back to four but the Hilltoppers (4-7, 4-7 LSC) endured the rally to take the decision.

Junior Brianna Pena (Weslaco, Texas) and freshman Jayde Tschritter (Corpus Christi, Texas) served as the one-two punch for the Blue and Gold. Pena was tabbed for 19 points and five rebounds while Tschritter went 6-for-8 from long range to finish with 18, a new season high for the newcomer.

Freshman Devon Williams (Gonzales, Texas) added eight points and five rebounds in the starting lineup, while senior Anastacia Mickens (Beaumont, Texas) poured in nine points and six boards off the bench.

SEU held the early lead in the game at 11-6 ahead of the midway point before TAMUK used a 9-0 burst for a four-point edge going into the second quarter. Tschritter ignited the run with her first trey of the contest, while Pena, Williams and freshman Mia Rivers (College Station, Texas) all poured in a bucket for the lead.

The score favored the hosts at the end of the frame, 16-15, as the Hilltoppers tacked on the final five points. Both sides kept it close throughout most of the second as Tschritter put away her next three triples for a 30-29 Javelina lead at the break.

The third quarter saw SEU build up a double-digit lead in the final two minutes. A pair of freebies from Pena at the 2:20 mark put the score at 42-40 favoring the Hilltoppers, but the hosts returned a 10-2 run to end the stanza that set the Javelinas in a 52-42 deficit heading into the fourth.

The Javelinas made a push through the initial portion of the fourth after whittling the lead back down to single digits. Pena and freshman Annelise Dominguez (El Paso, Texas) rolled off three treys over a three-minute span that cut the score to 58-54, but the Hilltoppers had the response and pushed the lead back to 67-58 after the two-minute mark.

TAMUK made one last push with a Tscritter three-ball and a shot from the stripe courtesy of Mickens for a 67-61 look on the scoreboard, but the Hilltoppers were sent to the line in the final minute and won out on free throws.

The second half of the home-and-home is set for Saturday, February 6, at the Steinke Physical Education Center with tipoff set for 2 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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