AUSTIN, Texas – Falyn Taylor set new career highs in points, field goals made, and three-point field goals made, but the Concordia Texas women's basketball came up short, falling to Howard Payne 65-55 at home on Thursday.
 
Taylor scored 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep to go along with eight rebounds, and Madi Maxwell scored 14 points on 5-of-8 from the field.
 
The game started slow, the first points not being scored until Havyn Perez cashed in a second-chance bucket with 6:24 left in the quarter, but the Lady Jackets answered with a 9-0 run in the next four minutes to gain a 9-2 advantage with 2:06 remaining in the period.
 
The Tornados came back with a run of their own, and were able to cut the lead to four by the end of the quarter. The Tornados trailed 14-10 after the first period of play.
 
The Tornados opened the second quarter on a tear, jumping out to a 22-14 lead thanks to a 12-0 run. Chelsea Cogborn got things started with a tough bucket in the paint, and two three-pointers from Taylor propelled CTX to a 12-point lead with 6:14 left in the quarter.
 
The Tornados were able to keep the offense churning, Maxwell and Natalie Velardez contributing five points each in the remainder of the half, but HPU found their footing offensively and were able to cut into the lead. Concordia Texas held on to a 33-32 advantage at the halfway point.
 
Howard Payne outscored CTX 21-10 in the third quarter, and despite six Tornados scoring in the period, Concordia Texas trailed 53-43 entering the final ten minutes of the game.
 
The Tornados struck first in the fourth quarter, Maxwell converting a transition layup and cutting the lead to single digits, but were unable to overcome the deficit, ultimately falling 65-55.
 
Velardez posted nine points and five rebounds on the night, and Cogborn was a menace on the defensive end, picking up four steals.
 
Concordia Texas will look to end their season on a high note, facing off against Sul Ross State at home on Saturday in the final game of the 2021 season at 1 p.m.