LANGSTON, Okla. – Texas Wesleyan University (18-9, 14-9 SAC) gave Langston University (25-2, 21-2 SAC) all it could handle but fell short in a hard-fought 64-61 loss in Sooner Athletic Conference play.

The Rams battled back from a slow start but could not complete the comeback against the conference-leading Lions (25-2, 21-2 SAC).

Texas Wesleyan struggled to find its offensive rhythm early, shooting just 25% from the field in the first quarter and falling behind 13-10. Langston controlled the paint early, with Jordan Brown and Diamond Richardson leading the charge. The Lions extended their lead to 26-22 at halftime behind strong rebounding from Mikayla Woods, who finished with 14 boards.

The Rams found their stride in the third quarter, outscoring Langston 18-18 in a back-and-forth period. Imani Mitchell provided a spark off the bench, leading Texas Wesleyan with 15 points while shooting 5-of-7 from the field. Sophia Hurtado and Kameryn Phillips added 13 points each, with Phillips attacking the basket and converting 9-of-15 free throws.

Langston held off Texas Wesleyan's late surge behind clutch free-throw shooting, finishing 19-of-24 (79.2%) from the line. Brown led the Lions with 16 points, while Koreea Kirksey added 11, including key three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

The Rams trailed by five with under a minute remaining, but forced turnovers cut the deficit to three. A final possession for Texas Wesleyan resulted in a contested three-point attempt that fell short as the buzzer sounded.

The Rams close out the regular season on Saturday with a game against Central Christian College on the road with a scheduled tip-off time of 2 p.m.