Complete Box Score

WAXAHACHIE, Texas - In a game in which both teams held sizeable leads, a late run by Red River Conference rival Southwestern Assemblies of God University proved to be the difference, as the Lady Lions grabbed a 71-70 victory over Texas Wesleyan.

Despite the absence of junior center Ashley Walker, who was unable to make the trip due to illness, Wesleyan dominated the opening minutes of the contest. Freshman post Shawndrika Courtney hit two early jumpers and a pair of free throws, pushing the Lady Rams on a 10-0 run to start the game. Less than a minute later the lead was down to five, but Shayla Coleman hit a jumper and two free throws and the Lady Rams went on a 9-4 run to reestablish the double digit lead at 19-9 with 10:04 remaining in the half.

The Lady Lions scored the next six points to close the gap, and were able to chip away over the next several minutes until Ashley Brisco’s free throw with 1:11 remaining in the half tied the score at 32. Neither team scored for a full minute, then Coleman put back her own miss with five seconds remaining, and Wesleyan took a two-point advantage into halftime.

SAGU came out firing in the second half, immediately tying the score on a jumper by Laurie Fuller, then taking their first lead of the game on a pair of free throws by Branda Turner, 35 seconds later. Wesleyan’s Kimberly Cooper tied the score at 36 with a lay-up, but the Lady Lions ripped off three consecutive buckets - all coming after offensive rebounds - to start a 14-3 run. A three-pointer by Lady Lion Angie Coleman capped the rally, and gave SAGU their own double digit lead at 50-39 with 13:45 remaining.

The momentum quickly shifted back to Wesleyan, though, as over the next six minutes Ertasha Jackson hit three jumpers, including one from beyond the arc, to fuel a 16-4 run that gave the Lady Rams a 55-54 lead with 7:49 on the clock.

Thanks in part to a pair of buckets by Julia Holmes, Wesleyan managed to extend that lead to seven points with 4:50 remaining, and led by five as late as the 2:40 mark, but SAGU began to apply full-court pressure and forced the Lady Rams into several late turnovers. They turned those gifts into points, and with a pair of free throws by Brisco, tied the score at 69 with 37 seconds remaining. A foul by Lady Lion Roc Esparza on the ensuing possession sent Julia Holmes, one of Wesleyan’s best free throw shooters, to the line with a chance to give the Lady Rams a late lead. She did, making the second of two attempts.

With the shot clock turned off, the Lady Lions advanced the ball looking for one shot to win the game. After passing around the perimeter for several seconds, Fuller came free inside the paint, took the feed, and nailed a short jumper with six seconds left on the clock. Wesleyan was unable to get off another attempt.

Holmes paced the Lady Rams with 18 points and nine rebounds, followed by Courtney with 14 and seven. Kimberly Cooper, who received the bulk of Ashley Walker’s playing time, responded with nine points and 11 boards, and Ertasha Jackson hit double figures for the first time this season with 11 points. Coleman finished with eight, and Stephanie Reder was 2-2 from three-point distance to post six points.

Five Lady Lions scored in double figures, led by Brisco with 19. Coleman had 13, Fuller had 12, Jennifer Snow scored 11, and Turner had 10. Fuller and Esparza led SAGU with five rebounds apiece.

With the loss, Wesleyan drops to 4-4 on the season, 0-2 in Red River Conference play. They travel to Hawkins, Texas on Saturday night to face Jarvis Christian College, then face Millsap College in Dallas on Sunday. They return to the Sid Richardson Gymnasium on January 2nd to face Schreiner.