WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State held a two-point lead over Texas A&M-Kingsville entering the fourth quarter at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Thursday night, but the Javelinas outscored the Mustangs in the fourth quarter, 20-6, and earned a 64-52 victory to keep their postseason hopes alive.
With the loss, Midwestern State (7-19, 7-13) has been eliminated from qualifying for the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament.
The Mustangs were held to 37 percent shooting from the field and hit only 2 of 15 shots from beyond the arc. In the fourth quarter, MSU was just 3 of 17 from the field and missed all four shots from 3-point range.
"We just couldn't make shots. We got all the touches we wanted and all the looks we wanted. We just couldn't make shots," Midwestern State head coach
Brenita Jackson said. "Kingsville did a great job of heavily contesting the shots and getting rebounds. Sometimes you just run out of gas and just can't seem to buy a basket, and that was us in that fourth quarter."
Midwestern State had an uncharacteristically poor night from the free-throw line, hitting just 6 of 12 foul shots.
"We looked a little frantic in general, especially at the end of that game. I think some of that is because our kids really wanted to win that game," Jackson said. "We weren't shooting with the same composure and poise that we were shooting with early on. It looked like we were kind of feeling the pressure of the moment."
Texas A&M-Kingsville (12-15, 8-12) shot 60 percent in the second half and hit 7 of 11 shots from the field in the fourth quarter.
Mia Rivers scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the second half and also finished with seven rebounds and four assists for the Javelinas. Rivers was 6 of 7 at the free-throw line, while the rest of the team was 5 of 10.
The Javelinas finished with 19 assists on 23 field goals and shot 44 percent from the field for the entire game, including 7 of 20 from 3-point distance.
Midwestern State was just 2 of 15 from beyond the arc.
The Mustangs outrebounded TAMUK, 39-33, and had 12 more second-chance points than the Javelinas, 17-5.
The TAMUK bench outscored the MSU reserves, 28-18, led by Shelby Ray, who had eight points and six rebounds for the Javelinas.
Zarria Carter recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while
Makayla Coy scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Mustangs.
Kertisa Amos added 10 points on 5 of 10 shooting before fouling out with 1:53 remaining in the game.
Kyla Speights scored eight points and had three of the 10 steals for MSU. Carter also had three steals for the Mustangs.
Midwestern State celebrates Senior Day on Saturday, and it will also be Military Appreciation Day at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The Mustangs will host Texas A&M International for their final home game of the season, and tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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--MSUMustangs.com--
