By BRAD KEITH
TheFlashToday.com
(February 17, 2018) — Tarleton State senior guard Tiara Tatum blew past everyone and hit a buzzer-beating layup to force over time, but that was about the only thing that did not go the way of Texas Woman’s in a 77-69 win over the TexAnns at Wisdom Gym Saturday.
The Pioneers outscored Tarleton 12-2 over the final five minutes of the third to get back in the game, then controlled much of the fourth, when Whitney Apari scored seven of her 15 and Desiree Phipps netted nine of her 14.
It was 59-55 before Katie Webster scored a layup with 10 seconds left. TWU missed two free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining, Tarleton got the ball quickly to Tatum and she went basically coast-to-coast as defenders all but stepped out of her way. In the end, the only thing contesting her layup was the clock, and she beat that, too, softly banking in the layup to force overtime.
But TWU dominated the extra five minutes in the same fashion it did to get back in the game over the final five minutes of the third quarter. The Pioneers scored seven points on their opening three possessions of the overtime period and Tarleton never recovered.
The TexAnns (16-9, 10-7) fall temporarily behind Eastern New Mexico into fourth in the LSC, while eighth-place Texas Woman’s (10-13, 7-10) locked up a spot in the Lone Star Conference Championship with the win.
Tarleton generated balanced scoring, led by Tatum with 17 points. Mackenzie Hailey had 16 to go with 13 boards, four assists and two steals and both Katie Webster and McKinley Bostad netted 13 points, Bostad adding five boards and four steals.
But the best player on the court was Ma’K’La Woods with 22 points, five boards and two steals for the Pioneers, who over the final five minutes of the third, all of the fourth and the five extra minutes outscored Tarleton 52-29.
Tarleton held the 40-25 lead midway through the third because of 14 straight points, which included a stretch of five consecutive made field goals, in the second. That rally came after a slow start with TWU ahead 13-10 after the first.
Tarleton hots UP-Permian Basin on Thursday and concludes the regular season at home against West Texas A&M on Saturday.
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