ODESSA, Texas -- It was a storybook beginning and ending for Midwestern State on Thursday night at the Falcon Dome.
 
Not so much of a fairy tale type of night, but more of a Stephen King thriller.
 
It wasn't hard to imagine the Falcons of UT Permian Basin cast as Pennywise the Clown as the Mustangs witnessed a double-digit, second-half lead dwindle away for the third time this season in an 80-79 loss.
 
Before the Mustangs even arrived at the gym, they endured an 8-hour bus ride that featured standstill traffic on Interstate-20 due to a trucking accident which forced a late start.
 
"The theme coming into the day was you just can't make this stuff up," MSU Texas coach Justin Leslie said. "We ran onto the court and just played. I was pleased with the way we came out focused."
 
The game featured plenty of bright spots for the Mustangs, who slipped to 0-7 for the first since the start of the 1988-89 season.
 
Midwestern State shot 60.4 percent from the field and were 13-of-23 from the arc (56.5 percent) placing four players in double figures. The Mustangs even used a 17-0 run in the second half to extend the advantage to 14 at 79-59 on Derrick Herrick's first 3-pointer of the season with 6:12 to play.
 
"I wasn't surprised we took the lead in the second half," Leslie said. "They kept taking forced, difficult shots and we were rebounding and putting it away."
 
But UT Permian Basin turned up the pressure ignited by Carson Newsome, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half including a chance at a traditional three-point play to give the Falcons their first lead of the second half with three seconds to go.
 
The aggressive Falcons took advantage of a 10-1 foul disparity in the closing eight minutes which resulted in 11 made free throws.
 
"The guys just got a bit a tense. We held the ball and UTPB kept pressuring," Leslie said. "We went from being the aggressor to not. In basketball, the team that is the most timid will be the ones who get the fouls."
 
Senior guard D'monta Harris led the Mustangs with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Ola Ayodele and Reggie Rivera added season highs of 14 and 13 points, respectively.
 
Darius Thompson notched his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 assist.
 
Midwestern State returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Western New Mexico. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.