BROWNWOOD, Texas – The Howard Payne University women's basketball team fell 61-57 on Saturday night against the University of Texas at Dallas. The two teams exchanged leads 11 times before UT-Dallas collected four unanswered free throws and pulled ahead in the final minute to capture the victory.
Micah Cisneroz led all players with 23 points despite having to sit out a few minutes after suffering a fall on the court. Cisneroz was back in the lineup to finish the game and ended up collecting seven points down the stretch.
Presley McKethan finished with a game high five assists and Valarie Matlock added five steals to help her ASC leading 4.4 steals per game average. Matlock is now #1 in NCAA DIII for steals with 52 as Howard Payne was able to force 15 steals on the night. The Jackets are now #2 in the country for steals with 183.
The Comets were able to snap the Jackets' five game winning streak by moving the ball into their post-players, drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. UT-Dallas received 34 points in the paint as opposed to Howard Payne's 16 points in the paint help collect the 61-57 result.
The Lady Jackets missed their first four field-goals to start the game as the Comets climbed to a seven point lead. Micah Cisneroz drained a shot from distance and followed it up with a layup in the paint to help bring the score to a tie before burying a free throw on the ensuing possession to help give HPU the 12-11 lead.
Sabrina Ochoa and Cisneroz got hot from range in the second period and Sarahi Castillo hit a couple of clutch jumpers to give Howard Payne a six point lead heading into halftime. The Jackets forced 18 turnovers in the first half in route to collecting 29 overall turnovers during the loss.
The Comets played focused to start the second half, battling back from the six point deficit to overtake Howard Payne and capture a brief one point lead. But the Jackets answered back and after a couple of free throws from Arriyanna Forch and a three bucket from Djimonii Jackson, the Jackets recaptured a four point lead, 36-32 with three minutes left in the period.
After exchanging buckets the rest of the third period, UT-Dallas climbed to a six point lead, 48-42 to start the fourth quarter. Dominique Featherstone entered the game and provided a nice spark off the bench. Firing up her team-mates while collecting six points, two rebounds, two steals and an assist to help give the Jackets a shot to win the game late.
With the scored tied at 57-57, the Comets were able to draw contact, get to the free-throw line and sink the games final four shots to escape with the 61-57 victory. The Jackets fall to 4-1 in ASC play and 7-5 overall.
Howard Payne women's basketball will now observe the Christmas holiday and resume play on December 29th. The Lady Jackets will be facing Lamar University and game time is slated for 5:30 PM. Live links and stats can be found at HPUSports.com and follow along on Twitter @HPUwbsk and Instagram @HPUSports for in game updates and more.
