SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Howard Payne University women's basketball team defeated Schreiner University 58-47 Saturday afternoon during the Trinity University Classic tournament.
Howard Payne had three players reach double figures in scoring and their defense held strong down the stretch to help deliver their second victory of the season. Sophomore Valerie Matlock led all scorers with 17 points while collecting six steals and 12 rebounds in a double-double performance.
Micah Cisneroz also had a good showing for the Yellow Jackets, finishing the game with 14 points, five rebounds, five steals and three blocks. Senior Sarahi Castillo would add 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in the victory.
Howard Payne fell behind early after the Mountaineers were able to sink their first two shots of the game, both three point attempts, to pull ahead with a six point lead. The Yellow Jackets missed their first three field goals to start the game and it wasn't until a Micah Cisneroz three with just under eight minutes left in the quarter that they were able to get on the board.
Sarahi Castillo followed that up with a three pointer of her own and Howard Payne pulled even with the Mountaineers at 6-6. The Yellow Jackets continued to get to the rim and were able to create some easy looks to pull ahead with a 17-13 lead heading into the second period.
The two teams traded buckets to start the second period and were tied up at 25-25 with just under four minutes left in the half before Schreiner pulled ahead after a three pointer from Alina Hilliard. The Mountaineers would hold and take a 30-26 lead into halftime.
Howard Payne finally took the lead midway through the third quarter when Sarahi Castillo drained back-to-back jumpers to help the Jackets pull away with a 35-33 lead. They would never look back at that point and never trailed the rest of the game.
At one point, the Yellow Jackets led by as much as 13 points as they continued to hit their shots while also drawing contact and getting to the free throw line. The Howard Payne defense forced 30 turnovers, collected 21 steals and finished with 24 points off turnovers to help seal the 58-47 win.
Howard Payne will now face the tournament hosts, Trinity University tomorrow at 4:00 pm. Live links and video is available at HPUSports.com and follow along on Twitter @HPUWbsk
