KINGSVILLE, Texas- The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team knocked off No. 2/No.4 West Texas A&M 71-60 in Lone Star Conference action at the Steinke Physical Education Center on Thursday.
"I thought collectively we were really solid overall, said coach
Michael Madrid."Offensively, we were able to come off some ball screens, get to the buckets, and score in a variety of ways…Defensively, we were good, we gave p some runs there at the end, but I was really proud of the group. They cut it to five, and we withstood it and went on a run of our own, so collectively, we were excited for them. .
The Javelinas (5-2, 2-1 LSC) overcame the second-ranked Lady Buffs (8-1, 2-1 LSC) for their second win over an opponent ranked in the top five since topping No. 1 Lubbock Christian last season in the SPEC. TAMUK outshot WT, knocking down shots at an incredibly efficient 51.7% clip, while the Lady Buffs were held to just 34.4% from the field.
Junior
Georgia Ohiaeri led the contest in scoring, logging 21 points and six rebounds. Also posting double-digit scoring figures, senior
Brianna Pena recorded 15 points while dishing out a pair of assists. Everybody who saw the floor for the Javs recorded a basket, as sophomore
Janessa Payne and freshman
Shelby Ray each scored eight. Additionally, Ray hauled in eight boards, and sophomore
Mia Rivers dished out seven helpers.
The first quarter began with a 4-4 deadlock until an Ohiaeri free throw and jumper delivered a slim Blue and Gold lead. WT answered, but a triple by Pena kick-started a 10-5 run in which she scored seven, building the Javelina lead to six. Sienna Lenz hit a jumper to close out the first frame with the Javs up 19-15.
A three-pointer courtesy of Ray provided TAMUK their first bucket of the second stanza before WT cut their deficit to two with a Hollie Stalder triple. Shortly after, Ohiaeri knocked down a jumper, and Payne hit a shot from beyond the arc for a 29-22 Blue and Gold edge. The Lady Buffs then scored a bucket before freshman
Alyssa O' Malley and Pena hit shots en route to a 33-26 halftime score.
Ohiaeri and Ray each nailed three-pointers midway through the third quarter for a 43-32 lead. From there, the Blue and Gold edge grew to 15 following a hook shot by Ray and a Rivers layup. By the period's conclusion, WT chased back using a three-pointer to enter the final frame trailing 56-47.
The Lady Buffs came out firing in the fourth, using an 8-4 run to propel themselves within five. Now leading 60-55, the Javelinas locked down on defense, allowing just five WT points for the remainder of the contest and pulling away for a 71-60 upset victory.
The Javelinas will be back in action on Saturday as they welcome #NR/#RV Lubbock Christian into the SPEC in a holiday-themed Deck the SPEC matchup, with tipoff slated for 1 p.m.
To keep up-to-date with Javelina Women's Basketball, follow the program on Facebook
/JavelinaWBB or Twitter
@Javelina_WBB.
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
