KINGSVILLE, Texas- The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team fell to Oklahoma Christian 76-70, in Lone Star Conference Action at the Steinke Physical Education Center on Saturday.
The Javelinas (7-7, 4-4 LSC) fell to the Eagles (2-11, 2-7 LSC), despite outshooting the opposition and boasting three double-digit scorers. TAMUK sunk shots at a 43.4% clip, with sophomore Mia Rivers and junior Georgia Ohiaeri boasting 13 points, while Rivers logged eight assists and five rebounds and Ohiaeri collected seven boards and a block. Additionally, senior Brianna Pena was 4-for-6 from the field, scoring 10.
Defensively, freshman Shelby Ray led the way swatting five shots and hauling in six rebounds, as she and Rivers each recorded a steal.
The Javs outscored the opposition 20-16 in the first quarter after the Eagles snagged seven of the first 10 points in the contest. Trailing 13-9, an eight-point Blue and Gold surge featuring a triple by Pena as well as buckets courtesy of Ray and Ohiaeri. With TAMUK up 17-13, OC fought back to within one before a three-pointer by Payne closed out the frame with the Javs on top.
Rivers came out firing in the second stanza, logging the first six Blue and Gold points and delivering a 26-18 Javelina edge. The lead grew to 10 following a jumper by sophomore Jayde Tschritter. However, the Eagles answered with a 10-2 spurt that saw multiple makes by Kendall Brown from beyond the arc. The teams then traded buckets for the remainder of the half, with a buzzer-beating heave by Nakia Cullom sending the squads into the locker room with OC holding a 37-36 lead.
A hot start for the Eagles saw their lead grow early in the third quarter before an Ohiaeri layup sparked a run that saw nine straight Javelina points and a 47-41 edge. Consecutive makes by Olivia Travis took the matchup into the final frame, with OC trailing 47-46.
The fourth quarter saw OC take a 57-52 lead with five minutes remaining in the contest. Tschritter and Ohiaeri then used back-to-back and-one's to go up 58-57. The Eagles kept battling, scoring 10 points in the final three minutes to secure the victory.
The Javelinas will remain in the SPEC for their next contest, as they host Texas Woman's on Thursday, Jan. 12th, for Faith Night with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m., ahead of a 1 p.m. clash Saturday against UT Tyler on U.S. Military and First Responders Appreciation Day.
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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
