Box Score

Season Stats

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The No. 3/4 West Texas A&M women's basketball team opened the 2014 South Point Holiday Hoops Classic with a thrilling 64-63 overtime victory over Western Washington University Thursday afternoon.  With the win, the Lady Buffs improved to 8-1 on the year, while Western Washington fell to 5-4. 
 
The Lady Buffs held a 64-63 lead with 19.8 seconds left in overtime.  WWU had two good looks at it from Jenni White and Peacocke but both rimmed out as the Lady Buffs stretched their winning streak to eight games with the win.
 
"I am proud of the kids, first and foremost," head coach Mark Kellogg said. "I call it a growing up game as you learn about your team we have some inexperience and some new kids.  You can't replicate a game experience like this in practice and I think that is a very quality basketball team in Western Washington and very well coached.  We fought today, we didn't play perfect as we missed a lot of free throws, we didn't play perfect and missed some assignments defensively, but we battled really hard and I was proud of our defensive effort."
 
Junior Madison McLain tied the game at 63 with 1:33 left in the overtime on 1 of 2 free throws.  WT called a timeout with 54.9 seconds left with the game tied.  Junior Sasha Watson was fouled with 43.8 seconds left earning a trip to the line.  Watson made one of two shots for a 64-63 lead.
 
In a game that saw 17 lead changes and 11 ties, the game was even throughout.  WT was led by a game-high 25 points and 17 rebounds from senior Chontiquah White as she tallied her fourth double-double of the season and tied her career-high with the 17 rebounds.  She was 9 of 16 from the field and 7 of 9 from the line.  Sophomore Sasha Watson added 13 points on 4 of 9 shooting and 5 of 8 at the line along with three assists and five steals.  Senior Haylee Oliver added 10 points off the bench on 3 of 4 shooting and one triple.
 
"I hate to say typical Chon (White), but you come to expect it from time to time," Kellogg said.  "We needed every point and every rebound from her as it felt like we got out-rebounded, but we did a great job on the offensive boards giving us second chance opportunities."
 
WT had a season-high 19 offensive rebounds and outscored WWU 18-8 in second chance points. 
 
The Lady Buffs struggled shooting as they shot a season-low 37.9 percent from the field and were just 2 of 16 from beyond the arc and 18 of 30 from the line. 
 
Western Washington was led by 17 points from Kaya Bernsen on 6 of 12 shooting and 5 of 9 from the line.  Taylor Peacocke added 15 points on 6 of 12 from the field with a triple, while Jenni White added 13 points on 6 of 13 with a triple. 
 
Free throw shooting was definitely a difference in the game as WT was 18 of 30, while WWU was just 8 of 13.  Turnovers also were a key as WT scored 28 points on 21 Viking miscues and held a 38-34 lead in points in the paint.
 
At the end of regulation, tied at 57 with 21 seconds left, WWU missed two free throws but was able to get the offensive rebound and a timeout with 13 seconds remaining.  WWU missed the shot and WT junior Madison McLain was fouled with 2.5 seconds left and earned a trip to the line.  McLain missed the toss as the game went to overtime.
                         
WT held WWU's top scorer Katie Colard, who entered averaging 15.4 points, to just three points on 1 of 7 shooting and no free throws as she shoots at over 90 percent from the line which is second-best nationally.
 
"I thought Danielle (Logan) and Madison (McLain) were really good defensively tonight shutting down Colard and Peacocke who got going later in the game but she turned it over seven times," Kellogg added.  "We did well for the most part and we switched out of zone and played well in man."
 
The Lady Buffs have a quick turnaround as they battle Northwest Nazarene (3-7) tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. CT to conclude the tournament.  Both WWU and NNU are in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
 
In a first half that saw four ties and six lead changes, WWU led for a majority of the half, but timely steals – 10 of them, 13 Viking miscues and 11 of 16 shooting from the free throw line helped keep the Lady Buffs in the game as WT shot a season-low 37 percent on 10 of 27 from the field for the half.
 
WT was led by 11 points from White who was 4 of 6 from the field and 3 of 4 from the line with five rebounds.  WWU had 11 points from Peacocke on 5 of 8 shooting and one triple.  The Lady Buffs struggled from beyond the arc, making just one of eight triples in the half.
 
The Lady Buffs held a five point advantage midway through the half, but a run by the Vikings gave WWU the lead which it would relinquish the rest of the half.  WWU built a six point lead late in the half, but a good run by the Lady Buffs to end the half closed the deficit to two points at 34-32. 
 
A great offensive rebound and put back tied the game at 38 with 15:30 left, followed by two blocks on the defensive end and a layup from junior Danielle Logan on the fast break for a 40-38 WT lead with 15 minutes left.  It was the first for WT since midway through the first half.
 
A 6-1 run by the Lady Buffs gave WT its largest lead of the half on a jumper in the lane by senior Haylee Oliver and a timeout by WWU with 10:30 left and a 46-41 lead.  A key to the WT second half start was shooting as WWU made just 3 of its first 16 shots, while WT was 6 of 13 to open the half.
 
A triple from Katie Colard, the Vikings' leading scorer on the season, cut the WT lead to 46-44 with 8:30 left.  It was Colard's first points of the game as she began 0 for 4.  An old fashion three-point play for Kayla Bernsen tied the game at 47 with seven minutes left.
 
After a quick bucket from WWU for the lead, White scored her 21^st point and earned the "and one" for a 52-51 Lady Buff lead with five minutes left.