BELTON, Texas - Shayla Coleman‘s game-high 22 points weren’t enough to overcome 24 Lady Ram turnovers, as Texas Wesleyan lost to the University of Mary-Hardin-Baylor in non-conference action Thursday night, 68-53.

Wesleyan fell behind early in the contest, as Lady Crusader Lisa Martinez scored almost at will. Her 18 point first-half helped Mary Hardin-Baylor build up a 16-point lead late in the frame, but Coleman caught fire for Wesleyan scoring the final eight points of the half, including a three-pointer at the buzzer, to cut the lead to eight at 33-25.

The Lady Crusaders continued to score as the second frame began, building the lead up to 13 points, before another Wesleyan rally closed the gap to 57-50 with 4:12 remaining. Worried about the clock, the Lady Rams then began to send their opponents to the free throw line. It did little good, however, as the Lady Crusaders knocked down nine of 13 attempts, closing the game on an 11-3 run to seal the victory.

Martinez led the Lady Crusaders with 20 points on ten of 17 shooting from the floor. She also pulled down seven rebounds. Michelle Latta scored 17, including a three-pointer and six free throws, and Julie Robertson recorded a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds. Julie Wiese led all players with 11 boards, as the Lady Crusaders out-rebounded the Lady Rams 44-30.

For Wesleyan, Coleman continued her hot play with 22 points, the fourth consecutive game she has reached double figures in the scoring column. She was perfect in four attempts from three-point distance, and eight of 15 overall on the night. Shawndrika Courtney hit double digits with ten points, and Stephanie Reder, coming off of her game- and season-high 14 point outing against Rhema on Monday, scored nine. Ashley Walker led the Lady Rams with nine rebounds, and added seven points, and Kori Yates dished out a team-high six assists.

The Lady Rams drop to 7-6 for the season. They resume Red River Conference play on Saturday night, facing UT-Permian Basin in the Sid Richardson Gymnasium at 5:30 PM.