THE RUNDOWN
ODESSA – The MSU Mustangs mounted a furious rally, but a 14-point first half offensive outburst by MSU allowed UT Permian Basin to close out a 59-57 victory at the Falcon Dome in Odessa.
 
The Mustangs fall to 7-5 overall and 4-2 in Lone Star Conference after the setback.
 
It was a defensive slugfest in the opening quarter as the teams combined to shoot 6-for-27 from the field (MSU, 3-for-13; UTPB, 3-for-14) and combining for nine turnovers. Whitney Taylor knocked down an early three to tie the game at five with 3:06 to go in the quarter, but MSU ended the period trailing 9-8 as Sierra Lagrande hit a buzzer-beating jumper to give the Falcons the edge.
 
The cold-spell continued through the second quarter for the Mustangs on offense. Kristin Rydell drained a trey at the 8:59 mark to pull MSU within one, down 12-11. The make by the Hutto product would be the only made field goal by the Mustangs in the period as MSU was held to just six points, leading to a 21-14 deficit at the half.
 
The Mustangs got things going from deep in the third quarter as Rydell connected on a pair of shots from deep. After an ice-cold first half, MSU went 6-of-12 in the third, including 3-for-8 from three-point land. The Falcons also began to find a rhythm offensively, shooting 57.1 percent on 8-of-14 shooting. UTPB did most of its damage from deep, knocking down five treys in six attempts.
 
Midwestern State pulled within three on Mica Schneider's trey with seven seconds to play. On the ensuing Falcons possession, UTPB turned the ball over to give the Mustangs a chance to tie in the final seconds. With one second left on the clock, Taylor drew a foul on a three-pointer, going to the line with a chance to force overtime, but the Melissa native only connected on one of the attempts, resulting in a final of 59-57.
 
Senior guard Jasmine Richardson led MSU with 12 points, converting on 8-of-10 shots from the charity stripe while Taylor added 10 points on a trio of three-pointers. Junior forward Chelsea Adams pulled down five rebounds to lead the Mustangs.
 
Lagrande led the Falcons with 17 points while knocking down four three pointers. UTPB improved to 5-9 overall and 3-3 in the LSC.

NOTES
- Midwestern State was held to 4-of-29 shooting (13.7 percent) from the field in the first half and went just 4-of-12 from the charity stripe, scoring only 14 points in the opening 20 minutes.
- Kristin Rydell knocked down the only made field goal in the second quarter for MSU on a three-pointer at the 8:59 mark. The Mustangs would go 1-for-16 from the field.
- The defense for MSU rose to the occasion in the first half, limiting UTPB to 6-of-29 shooting (20.7 percent) and forced 14 turnovers against the Falcons.
- The Mustangs scored 43 points in the second half, going 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from the field and 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) from deep.
- MSU converted a season-high 26 turnovers into 19 points-off-turnovers while also adding a season-best seven blocked shots.
- With three three-pointers in the setback, Whitney Taylor moved into second place on the all-time list, passing Andrea Buben (132 3s/2006-10) at the 6:12 mark in the fourth quarter. Taylor's former teammate Lisa Hampton (154 3s/2011-15) remains atop the career list.
- Taylor returned to double-figures after a two-game hiatus, recording 10 points on a trio of three pointers.
- Senior guard Jasmine Richardson led MSU with 12 points, extending her streak of scoring at least five points to eight of the last nine games.
 
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State returns to the friendly confines of D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 11 against Western New Mexico. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.