Game-tying shot spins off rim as TexAnns fall to WTAMU

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Flash Staff Report
TheFlashToday.com

(February 25, 2017) — The ball kissed off the glass, spun all the way around the rim and fell off. It was that close.

A scoop shot by Mackenzie Hailey just missed the mark for Tarleton and West Texas A&M grabbed the board, was fouled and hit two free throws to seal its 73-69 win over the TexAnns at the First United Bank Center in Canyon Saturday.

Tarleton scored five straight points on a free throw by Ikpeaku Iwobi, a driving layup by Bailey Wipff then two more foul shots by Iwobi, tying the game at 69-69 with a minute remaining.

But Maddison Wild made up for her foul that allowed Iwobi to tie the game from the stripe, hitting a layup with 37 seconds left that put the Lady Buffs ahead for good.

It was Wild who also grabbed the board after Hailey’s shot rolled off the rim. WTAMU called timeout and navigated a pass through a backcourt trap before Wipff fouled Madison Parker with 7.8 seconds on the clock. She hit both for a two-possession advantage, and Iwobi missed a 3-pointer that wouldn’t have changed the outcome for Tarleton.

One thing that wasn’t going to change regardless of Saturday’s game was Tarleton’s seed or opponent in the Lone Star Conference Championship tournament next week in Allen. The TexAnns are the No. 5 seed and oppose No. 4 Texas A&M-Commerce at 6 p.m. Friday at Allen Event Center.


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WTAMU played from in front most of the way because of strong finishes in each quarter. Shelby Mankins pulled Tarleton even on a layup with 2:22 left in the third, but the Lady Buffs finished the quarter with a 9-4 run for a 52-47 lead.

Sasha Watson hit a jumper to give WTAMU a 29-23 advantage with 2:03 left in the second quarter, and neither team scored the rest of the half.

The first quarter finished with five straight Lady Buff points for a 15-8 lead.

Granbury product Lilley Vander Zee was a star in her final home game for WTAMU, scoring 22 points on 8-8 shooting from the floor and 6-8 from the line. She fouled out with 3:07 remaining, so Sasha Watson took over and finished with 16 points, eight boards and five assists. Parker scored 11 and Alie Decker, the only Lady Buff to hit a 3-pointer – she was 2-11, the team 2-17 – scored 10.

Tarleton was 8-19 from 3, and the 24-6 margin from the arc kept the TexAnns in the game until the final seconds. Hailey hit both her 3-point tries and finished 7-12 from the floor for 18 points. Tiara Tatum scored 13, Travanti Downes 11 off the bench and Bailey Wipfff 10. Freshman Kylie Collins dealt a career-best eight assists while hitting two 3-pointers for six points. She turned the ball over just twice in 38 minutes of action at point guard.

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