Box score

     FORT WORTH, Texas - The Texas Wesleyan women's basketball team shot 67 percent in the second half to defeat Texas A&M-International, 88-75, Thursday evening in Red River Athletic Conference action.

     Texas Wesleyan (20-8, 17-3 RRAC) opened the game on a 7-1 run in the first three minutes led by five points from senior Shayla Coleman.

     TAMU-International (15-13, 12-8 RRAC) fought back with a 10-4 run over the next four minutes to cut the lead to 11-10, with 13:12 remaining in the game. Becky Mata led the way with four points during the stretch.

     The Lady Rams answered with a 21-11 run over the next eight minutes to increase its lead to 32-21, with 4:41 remaining in the first half. Sophomore Britney Helton keyed the run, canning four from the charity stripe.

     The Lady Dustdevils clawed their way back into the game, using a 13-6 run to end the half and cut the lead to 38-34. Vanessa Villareal led the team with 11 points and seven rebounds in the first period.

     In the second half, TAMU-International scored the first seven points to take a 41-38 lead with 18:40 remaining in the contest. Villareal had the hot hand, scoring all seven points.

     The Lady Rams responded with a 26-6 run over the next seven minutes to put the game out of reach. Senior Johnna Flemmons scored eight points and sophomore Nastassia Brown added six points during the run.

     The Lady Dustdevils could only close the gap to as low as 10 points as the Lady Rams won their sixth straight game.

     Brown led the Lady Rams with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Coleman added 18 points. Sophomore Stephanie Sewell registered eight points and a game-high six assists and Flemmons finished tallied 13 points and five assists.

     Villarreal led TAMU-International with 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Jermina Tomlinson added 21 points.

     Texas Wesleyan shot 48 percent (30-63) from the floor and 65 percent (22-34) from the charity stripe. The Lady Rams also shot 46 percent (6-13) from the three-point line.

     TAMU-International shot 37 percent (27-73) from the field and 52 percent (11-21) from the free-throw line. The Lady Dustdevils also shot 53 percent (10-19) from behind the arc.

     Texas Wesleyan will be back in action Saturday, when they host conference-leader #1 Houston Baptist. The game has been designated homecoming and tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Sid Richardson Gymnasium. The Lady Rams fell to the Lady Huskies once, 88-61, on Jan. 22nd in Houston, Texas. With tonight's victory Texas Wesleyan clinches second place in next weekend's conference tournament. Check www.redriverconference.com for complete standings.