BROWNWOOD, Texas - The Howard Payne University women's basketball team defeated Southwestern University 82-67 on Tuesday night at the Brownwood Coliseum.
Sarahi Castillo led the Jackets with 22 points and 11 rebounds while
Presley McKethan finished with 18 points and four assists on 63% shooting from beyond the arc.
Valarie Matlock added 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals to help Howard Payne win their 2016-17 home opener, 82-67.
The Yellow Jackets (3-4) came out and dominated the opening minutes of the game, holding the Pirates (1-5) scoreless for the first three minutes while building a 9-0 lead. By the end of the first quarter, Howard Payne had held Southwestern to 4-10 shooting and built their largest lead of the game (17) to finish with a 28-13 lead.
The Pirates were able to come back during the second period of play, holding the Lady Jackets to 17-42 from the field (40%) while making 12 of their 24 attempts. Southwestern found success by getting the ball into the paint and picking up foul contact. They finished the quarter having made 9-10 free throws and pulled within nine points of Howard Payne, 42-33 to close out the first half.
After halftime,
Djimonii Jackson opened things up with a three to help the Lady Jackets bump their lead back up to 12, 45-33. Southwestern would make a run and chipped away at Howard Payne's lead throughout the rest of the quarter though. The Pirates were able to get within four points, 47-43 with five minutes left in the quarter after getting the ball down low to their post players and letting them do work.
Howard Payne built there lead back up to 14, 63-49 to start the fourth quarter after
Presley McKethan made back-to-back three pointers to close out the third period. The Lady Jackets missed their first three shots to begin the fourth quarter but settled down and never led by less than 10 as they rolled to the easy victory.
The Yellow Jackets will next play host to LeTourneau University at the Brownwood Coliseum on Thursday, December 1st at 5:30 pm. Tickets are free for HPU students and faculty and kids under 12 also get in free. Adult tickets are $3, kids ages 12-18 are $1 and senior citizens are $2 at the door.
