BROWNWOOD, Texas - The Howard Payne University women's basketball team rolled to a 75-68 victory vs. Hardin-Simmons during Senior Day at the Brownwood Coliseum.
Senior center
Sarahi Castillo scored a career-high 27 points while pulling down 11 rebounds to collect her 11th double-double of the season.
Micah Cisneroz added 14 points and nine rebounds to help the Lady Jackets maintain their place atop the ASC West standings. With the victory, Howard Payne is now guaranteed at least a tie for the ASC West division championship.
It was largely a back and forth contest to start the first period, with the lead changing hands three times before Howard Payne ended the period trailing 18-16. A 2-3 zone and some strong post play from Deontae Ingram helped the Cowgirls maintain their lead throughout the majority of the first half. But the Lady Jackets were never far behind and with time winding down on the clock,
Presley McKethan hit a three-pointer from deep downtown at the buzzer to tie the score up at 32-32 heading into halftime.
Howard Payne was held to 37.5% shooting in the half but converted six of their seven free throw attempts and scored 10 second-chance points to help keep themselves in the contest. Hardin-Simmons was also out-rebounded 21-16 and Howard Payne used them to collect 12 second chance points.
Sarahi Castillo finished the half with 14 points and six rebounds to lead all players.
The Lady Jackets buried three straight three-pointers to start the second period only to have the Cowgirls answer with some hot shooting from distance of their own. They would also find some more success by going back into the paint but Dominque Featherstone would enter the game and provide a nice little spark for Howard Payne.
Presley McKethan would add another three-pointer at the buzzer to end the third period and give the Jackets a 54-48 lead.
The Howard Payne defense would force multiple turnovers to start the fourth and go on to build their lead to 62-51 after five minutes of play. The Cowgirls would settle down, create some contact and get to the foul line to help keep the game close and come within five points, 66-63 with one minute remaining. The Lady Jackets responded by getting the ball to
Sarahi Castillo down low for a quick bucket to extend their lead back to five points. From there, the game would end at the free-throw line.
Micah Cisneroz buried two free-throws with two seconds left and Howard Payne held on to take the 75-68 victory.
The Yellow Jackets still rest atop the ASC West Standings with an 11-2 record and will next face Concordia University on February 9th at 5:00 PM. Live stats and video will be made available on HPUSports.com and follow along on Twitter @HPUwbsk and on Instagram @HPUsports for in-game updates, interactive content and more.
