FORT WORTH, Texas – The Texas Wesleyan women's basketball team (1-4, 1-3 SAC) were outlasted by Mid-America Christian (5-1, 2-0 SAC) 70-66 in Sooner Athletic Conference action at the Sid Richardson Center on Saturday.
 
The two teams played fairly even, as the Lady Rams stepped up to match the three-point shooting prowess of the Evangels. MACU edged TXWES from the field, 44.3% to 43.3%, while the Lady Rams outshot the visiting team from behind the arc, 35.3% to 31.0%.
 
A bright spot for the Rams was from the free throw line, shooting 80% on 8 of 10, while MACU managed 63.6% (7-11).
 
The home team led most of the second half, but the Evangels struck late and held off the Lady Rams to escape The Sid with a win and stay spotless in conference play.
 
Makayla Coy led the team with 21 points, bringing down eight boards in the process. Lindsay Thorpe ended the day with 13 points and eight rebounds, hitting on 3 of 5 from downtown. Whorley had another efficient game, scoring nine with eight rebounds and committed no turnovers.
 
In the first quarter, it was mostly Presley Payahsape who set the tone for MACU, scoring the first seven points for the Evangels. Hailee Walls followed suit with a triple and a pair of lay-ups for TXWES in the first three minutes of the ball game.

The Evangels built a quick 10-point lead in the opening salvo, behind a flurry of treys. Lindsay Thorpe added a three to get in the stat sheet, but MACU took a 19-12 edge heading into the second quarter.

The Lady Rams guarded the long range shot well in the second quarter, and MACU clung to a 29-27 lead after a Brigham pull-up jumper with under 5 to go before the break.
The Lady Rams flipped the script from there, led by a pretty dish from Coy to Thorpe which led to a mid-range jumper that fell in. Thorpe stayed white hot, knocking down a pair of triples to build a 37-32 advantage for TXWES with two minutes left in the half.

MACU went cold from the field and TXWES took full advantage, taking a 41-32 lead into the break. TXWES outshot their opponent from the field 54% to 41%, led by 6 of 11 from behind the arc.

In the third quarter, the Rams forced the issue inside and used their size to keep the Evangels at arm's length, maintaining a 10-point lead well into the quarter.
The Evangels did not roll over, showing their stamina with under two minutes, cutting the TXWES lead to just 5 points at 53-48 heading into the final frame.

The Evangels stayed in a full court press for most of the second half, and this slowed down the game flow quite a bit. Payahsape led the Evangels down the stretch, spurring a 5-0 run to tie the game at 55 all with eight minutes remaining in regulation.
Coy and co. kept forcing the issue inside though, as the sophomore completed an and-one play on the offensive end to keep a 58-55 edge for TXWES.

The two teams were deadlocked with under four to play until Shelby Salter drove through the lane for a good layup to make it 63-61 game in favor of the Rams.

A jump ball off a rebound gave the Evangels the ball back and Payahsape laid in a triple to give MACU its first lead since 4:39 in the second half.

The Lady Rams were unable to covert a three ball on the other end, and MACU fed Ossyana Ozoani underneath for a lay-in to extend the lead and put the game out of reach as MACU escaped the The Sid with a 70-67 win.

The Lady Rams will head out to OKC for a bout with Oklahoma City University on Thursday, January 28. Tip-off is set of 6 p.m.