Box Score

WAXAHACHIE, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University women’s basketball team (28-4) took a thrilling 68-64 overtime victory over LSU-Shreveport (17-13) in semifinal action at the Red River Athletic Conference tournament on Friday.

 

The teams entered the game knowing that the winner would earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament in Jackson, TN (March 16-22). Regular season champion Langston University early defeated Southwestern Assemblies of God University to advance to the championship, meaning that the team facing Langston would earn the RRAC’s second bid regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s title match.

 

The first half saw five ties and five lead changes as LSUS outshot the Lady Rams 38.5%-29.6% in the period. The Rams crashed the boards and turned 10 offensive rebounds into 11 second chance points on their way to a 25-22 lead at the intermission.

 

The second half saw the lead change hands ten more times. The Pilots matched their largest lead of the game at 49-44 with 4:45 on the clock, when Eliana Mijangos sparked the Rams with a three-pointer. After two free throws from LSUS, Shayla Moore buried a three to cut the score to 53-52. The Pilots pushed back ahead 56-52, but a three-point play from Moore, a layup from Nicole Terral and one of two at the line from Octavia Mullins put the Rams on top 58-56 with 1:25 to play.

 

On LSUS’s next possession, the Rams nearly got a five-second call defensively, but an errant whistle stopped play, and the Pilots called timeout. Later, Kylie Leonards hit two free throws to tie the game at 58 with 31 ticks remaining. The Rams missed a shot with nine seconds to play, and LSUS got two great looks at a game-winner, but Simone Brewer’s buzzer-beater bounced on the rim twice before rimming out.

 

In the overtime period, Tiffany Adair scored Texas Wesleyan’s first seven points including a three-point play that tied the game at 64. Moore followed with a jumper to give the Lady Rams the lead with 26 seconds to play. On LSU-Shreveport’s next possession, Brittany White took a charge with 13 seconds on the clock. Adair added two free throws to account for the 68-64 final score.

 

For the game, the Pilots outshot the Rams 38.3%-33.8% from the floor. The Rams grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and outscored LSUS 22-14 on second chance points. The Rams’ bench also outscored the LSUS bench 27-17.

 

In total, the score was tied 11 times and the lead changed hands 17 times.

 

Moore led the Rams with 17 points, while Adair finished with 15. The Pilots were led by Amanda Fontenot’s 14 points, while Sharday Cotton posted 10 points and 12 boards before fouling out.

 

A win in tomorrow’s title match (8:00 p.m. in Waxahachie, TX) would match the most wins in the 41-year history of the program. The 1978-79 squad finished at 29-5. The NAIA National Tournament appearance will be the second for the Lady Rams. The 2004-05 team made the program’s first appearance.