KINGSVILLE, Texas-Â The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team came up just short against Western Colorado, falling 62-56 in overtime at the Steinke Physical Education Center on Saturday.Â
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 "I am extremely proud of our team's effort tonight, said coach Michael Madrid. "We played hard and had a chance to win despite our low shooting percentage. Some days the ball doesn't fall the way you want it, and that's ok. We played hard and competed, and that is all we can ask of these young ladies day in and day out."
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The Javelinas (2-1, 0-0 LSC) took the Mountaineers to overtime (1-3, 0-0 RMAC), as sophomore Janessa Payne, senior Brianna Pena, and sophomore Veyda Lake all scored in double-figures, with Payne logging 14 points on five-for-eight shooting, while Pena and Lake each scored 10.
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Pena also led the team in rebounds, snagging six boards, with junior Georgia Ohiaeri not far behind at five. Additionally, nobody at the SPEC recorded more steals than Ohiaeri, who swiped three.
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WCU found themselves with a 10-3 lead with two minutes to go in the first quarter before a sophomore Jayde Tschritter three-pointer, and a Lake bucket cut the Mountaineers lead to two.
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The Blue and Gold run continued in the second stanza as a Pena floater knotted the contest at 10, and a sophomore Mia Rivers layup handed TAMUK its first lead of the day. A Western bucket saw a 13-12 score line in favor of the Javs before a six-point surge featuring baskets by Ohiaeri, Rivers, and Lake put the Javelinas up seven. The Mountaineers slowly clawed away at the deficit before heading into the locker room trailing 24-22.Â
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Both teams went blow-for-blow at the start of the third quarter before a Western three-pointer at the midway point put WCU up 32-28. Payne then answered with a triple of her own, bringing TAMUK within one. Later in the period and trailing 37-33, Lake knocked down a pair from the charity stripe, and Payne knocked down another three-pointer that allowed the Javelinas to carry a 37-35 lead into the fourth quarter.
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The Javelinas started the fourth hot, embarking on a 7- 2 run with Pena and Rivers each hitting two free throws and Tschritter hitting a triple. Now down 45-39, Western responded with an 8-1 spurt of their own, as an Emily Wagstaff three-pointer handed them a one-point lead with 23 seconds remaining in regulation. Shortly after, Ohiaeri knocked down a free throw for a 47-47 score that forced overtime.
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Western got the scoring going in overtime with a pair of free throws before Payne nailed a three-pointer for a 50-49 Blue and Gold lead. Another Wagstaff bucket and two Ohiaeri free throws followed before eight unanswered WCU points saw a 59-52 lead that the Javelinas could not recover from, eventually falling 62-56.
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The Javelinas will remain in the SPEC for their next contest, as they host Adams State on Wednesday, with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m. in Kingsville, Texas
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Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network. To keep up-to-date with Javelina Women's Basketball, follow the program on Facebook /JavelinaWBB or Twitter @Javelina_WBB
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