THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS – Despite falling behind by as many as 15 in the first half, Midwestern State remained resilient and rallied for a 72-67 overtime win over UT Permian Basin.
 
It was certainly a tale of two quarters in the first half. The Mustangs went just 3-for-14 in the opening 10 minutes with seven turnovers, scoring eight points. MSU began to find its footing against the Falcons in the second, going 61.5 percent from the floor and pulling to within five (33-28) at halftime.
 
The Maroon and Gold slowly but surely chipped away at the lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter, eventually tying it on a Whitney Taylor three with 5:51 to play. Both sides traded body blows back-and-forth with neither team able to stretch the lead to more than six over the final 15 minutes of the second half. The Mustangs had a shot to win it in regulation, but Jasmine Richardson's jumper was too strong at the buzzer, bouncing out.
 
In overtime, Micheline Mercelita and Liz Cathcart each scored four points and had two rebounds to send the Mustangs past the Falcons. UTPB took the lead on three separate occasions to open the extra period, answered by a pair of Mercelita free throws, followed by free throws and a layup by Cathcart to tie the game at 67 with 1:57 to go.
 
With 27 seconds to play, Micah Schneider found Mercelita on the block and the senior laid it in to put MSU on top for the first time in OT. On the ensuing defensive possession, UTPB's Khali Pippins-Tryon drove the lane but lost her footing, giving the ball back to the Mustangs. Schneider drained both free throws with 17 seconds remaining to put MSU up four and essentially put the game on ice.
 
Mercelita tallied her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. In her first action since Dec. 7, Cathcart poured in a season-high 14 points with seven rebounds on 62.5 percent shooting. Senior guards Kristin Rydell and Jasmine Richardson added six and five assists, respectively.
 
UTPB was led by Sierra LaGrande with 23 points and Pippins-Tryon added 20 for the Falcons.

NOTES
- Midwestern State improved to 12-9 overall and 9-6 in Lone Star Conference play after a 72-67 overtime win over UT Permian Basin. The Mustangs improve to 9-3 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on the 2017-18 season.
- Thursday marked the first overtime game the Mustangs have played this season.
- MSU shot 21.4 percent in the first quarter and 51.1 percent over the final three quarters to overcome a 15-point deficit.
- The Mustangs held the Falcons to 33.3 percent shooting from the field and beyond the arc.
- MSU won the battle on the glass, 45-38 and the Mustangs' bench outscored UTPB, 29-12.
- The Maroon and Gold got 36 points in the paint, outscoring UTPB 36-26.
- Senior forward Micheline Mercelita tallied her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
- Sophomore forward Liz Cathcart added a season-high 14 points and seven rebounds in her first action since Dec. 7. The Spring Branch product played a season-high 24 minutes and went 5-of-8 from the field and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
- Senior guards Kristin Rydell and Jasmine Richardson combined for 11 assists.
- Senior guard Whitney Taylor hit three, three-pointers and is now four away from breaking the all-time school record.

UP NEXT
Midwestern State is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 10 against West Texas A&M at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.