December 19, 2009
ODESSA, Texas–Four St. Mary’s University players scored in double figures, but Tammy Acosta and Miesha Blackshear combined to score 49 points and led a late comeback as the Falcons defeated the Rattlers, 78-77, in Heartland Conference women’s basketball action Saturday night at the Falcon Dome.
The Rattlers broke open a tight game early in the second half and consistently led by double digits throughout the second period. When Chastity Noble (Sr., El Paso) hit two free throws with 4:06 left in regulation, the Rattlers led by a commanding 15 points at 61-46.
But the Rattlers would get just one basketball over the next four minutes as the Falcons went on a 17-2 run to take a two-point lead with 13 seconds left in regulation. However, Kristin Williams (Jr., Kansas City, Mo.) fed Mareta Bailey (Jr., Grand Prairie, Texas), who hit a lay-up as time expired to send the game into overtime.
The overtime period was back-and-forth until DeAnna Patterson (So., Converse, Texas) hit a pair of free throws with six seconds left to give the Rattlers a one-point lead. But Noble fouled Acosta with two seconds left and the two made free throws gave the Falcons the lead for good.
Williams and Noble tied for the team lead in scoring with 16 points each. Williams also tied the St. Mary’s school record for rebounds in a single game with 18. Bailey and Patterson each added 15 points for the Rattlers. As a team, St. Mary’s made 41.8 percent (28-67) of their shots from the field. They were dominant on the boards, outrebounding the Falcons, 56-35. But the Rattlers committed 33 turnovers, aiding the Falcon comeback.
With the loss, the Rattlers fell to 7-4 overall and 1-1 in Heartland Conference play this season. UTPB improved to 5-7, 1-2. St. Mary’s will return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 4 p.m. against the University of Central Oklahoma at Bill Greehey Arena.
12/19/09 2:00 PM at Odessa, Texas (The Falcon Dome)
ST. MARY’S UNIV. (7-4 HC 1-1)
Chastity Noble 3-12 9-9 16; Kristen Williams 8-12 0-0 16; Mareta Bailey 7-10 1-4 15; DeAnna Patterson 4-8 4-4 15; Nicole James 3-7 0-0 6; Felicia Jacobs 1-4 1-1 3; Amber Sophus 1-2 0-0 3; Mallory Moeller 1-1 0-0 2; Lesleigh Phillips 0-1 1-2 1; Liz Boyd 0-9 0-0 0; Jenni Endres 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 28-67 16-22 77.
TEXAS-PERMIAN BASINW (5-7 HC 1-2)
Tammy Acosta 10-17 6-8 28; Miesha Blackshear 8-13 4-10 21; Andrea Chavez 3-9 0-0 7; Micaela Jackson 2-8 3-5 7; Callie Norris 2-7 0-0 6; Lauren Unger 1-7 0-0 3; Christina Lira 1-1 0-0 2; Simone Jackson 0-4 2-2 2; Pasha Cornish 1-2 0-0 2; Domonique Haywood 0-1 0-0 0; Menka Bannipal 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-69
15-25 78.
St. Mary’s Univ…………… 29 36 12 – 77
Texas-Permian Basin……….. 22 43 13 – 78
3-point goals–St. Mary’s Univ. 5-18 (DeAnna Patterson 3-6; Amber Sophus 1-1; Chastity Noble 1-5; Nicole James 0-3; Felicia Jacobs 0-1; Liz Boyd 0-1; Jenni Endres 0-1), Texas-Permian BasinW 7-25 (Tammy Acosta 2-5; Callie Norris 2-6; Miesha Blackshear 1-2; Lauren Unger 1-6; Andrea Chavez 1-4; Pasha Cornish 0-1; Micaela Jackson 0-1). Fouled out–St. Mary’s Univ.-Chastity Noble, Texas-Permian BasinW-None. Rebounds–St. Mary’s Univ. 56 (Kristen Williams 18), Texas-Permian BasinW 35 (Simone Jackson 8). Assists–St. Mary’s Univ. 20 (Nicole James 5; DeAnna Patterson 5), Texas-Permian BasinW 13 (Tammy Acosta 3; Andrea Chavez 3). Total fouls–St. Mary’s Univ. 24, Texas-Permian BasinW 17. Technical fouls–St. Mary’s Univ.-None, Texas-Permian BasinW-None.