KINGSVILLE, Texas — On Thursday, The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to the Texas A&M International Dustdevills in a 66-64 overtime loss in the opening round of the Lone Star Conference tournament at the Steinke Physical Education Center.
The eighth-seeded Javelinas (17-11, 10-6 LSC) were defeated by the ninth-seeded Dustdevils (18-10, 8-8 LSC), as Raiana Brown beat the buzzer with 0.4 seconds on the clock in overtime to advance into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
Junior
Brianna Pena (Weslaco, Texas) led the way in scoring, dropping 21 points at a 55.6% clip. Additionally, Pena logged four rebounds and three assists in the contest, swiping four steals in the process.
Freshman
Jade Tschritter (Corpus Christi, Texas) added 12 points courtesy of four triples, snagging four boards in 20 minutes, while classmate
Devon Williams (Gonzales, Texas) dominated on the glass, pulling down 12 rebounds and finishing a point away from a double-double.
Both teams battled for the entirety of the contest with TAMUK getting on the board first, courtesy of a Pena layup. The Dustdevils answered back as the teams traded baskets until an 8-8 deadlock was broken by a Tchsritter triple. TAMIU nailed a pair of free throws before Tchritter swished another three-pointer, allowing the Javs to carry a 14-10 lead into second quarter.
The Dustdevils outscored the Javelinas 16-14 to close out the half, with both teams shooting the ball well, as freshman
Mia Rivers (College Station, Texas) and Williams each hit multiple buckets, while sophomore
Kryslyn Jones (Edmond, Oklahoma) and Tshritter each added triples.
The second frame started with a bang, as Tshritter and Clara Fernandez of TAMIU exchanged three's kickstarting another quarter of back-and-forth basketball. Rivers beat the buzzer as the second quarter winded down handing TAMUK a 28-26 edge before the final 20 minutes of regulation.
The Javelinas started the third quarter in a hurry with a 9-2 run, featuring a pair of buckets from Pena, a second-chance layup by Williams and three Ohiaeri free-throws. With the Javs up 37-28, the Dustdevils pulled to within three before a Pena triple allowed TAMUK to carry a 43-37 lead into the final frame.
Back-to-back layups by Ohiaeri put the Javelinas up 51-42 with 6:21 remaining in the contest, before a 9-2 spurt by the Dustdevils evened the score at 51-51 with 27 seconds on the clock as Evelyn Quiroz nailed a pair of free throws, clinching overtime.
In overtime, neither team could gain an inch as every Javelina basket was quickly answered by Dustdevil points. Pena scored six points in the extra frame while freshman
Janessa Payne (Aledo, Texas) went 4-4 from the charity stripe. Jones logged two free-throws with under 10 seconds on the clock, delivering a three-point Blue and Gold lead. Emily Swierz of TAMIU then sunk a three-pointer with three seconds on the clock, evening the game at 64 apiece. Swierz was fouled on the shot, but was unable to complete the four-point play as the Dustdevils grabbed an offensive rebound and beat the buzzer, for a 66-64 Dustdevil victory.
To keep up-to-date with Javelina Women's Basketball, follow the program on Facebook
/JavelinaWBB or Twitter
@Javelina_WBB.
Get the Official Javelina Athletics Mobile App presented by Whataburger today! Download on the App Store or Get It on Google Play to keep up with all the news, scores and updates of your favorite Javelinas
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
