AUSTIN, Texas – The Concordia Texas women's basketball team overcame a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to send the game into overtime, but could not complete the comeback as they fell 70-65 against Howard Payne on Thursday inside Concordia Fieldhouse.
Payton Berger produced her fifth double-double of the season and nine different Tornados scored as CTX dropped to 7-17, 3-12 in the American Southwest Conference.
Berger, a junior out of Azle, Texas, pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds to go along with 19 points in what was her second double-double in her last three games.
The Tornados raced out of the gates early, scoring eight of the game's first 11 points to take an early advantage. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the first stanza and CTX led 18-16 at the end of the first quarter.
With the game tied at 20 in the second, the Tornados went on a 7-0 run to take their largest lead of the contest. The Yellow Jackets answered quickly with a 9-0 run to close the half and took a 29-27 lead into the break.
The run continued into the second half, as HPU built the lead to as many as 10 points thanks to what eventually was a 17-0 run from the end of the first half to the beginning of the first.
The Yellow Jackets were able to keep CTX at arms-length for the remainder of the third quarter, and took a 50-41 lead into the final quarter.
With the Tornados trailing 54-45 in the fourth, CTX produced a 15-4 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from
Kaycie Dunkerley and
Molly Gideon, to take a two-point lead with 50 seconds to play.
HPU tied the game on a pair of free throws with 10 second remaining and the Tornados were unable to answer in the final possession of regulation.
Dunkerley tied the game at 64 with a 3-pointer in the extra period, but the Yellow Jackets closed strong, scoring six of the final seven points of the contest to take home the victory.
Next up, the Tornados will wrap up their 2018-19 campaign in the final home contest of the season against Sul Ross State at Concordia Fieldhouse beginning at 1:00 p.m.
