–Madison Clay collected 21 points, but the Howard Payne women’s basketball team fell to the LeTourneau Yellow Jackets 70-58 on the road Tuesday.

Clay’s 21 point effort led the Yellow Jackets (4-23). Caitlyn Panuco helped out with a double double of 10 points and 14 rebounds and Kiana Henning chipped in with 10 points.

The Howard Payne offense was very productive from downtown, pouring in eight threes on 27 attempts. Clay was the most prolific shooter for the Yellow Jackets, draining three treys in the contest.

Howard Payne forced 16 LeTourneau turnovers. The Yellow Jackets turned those takeaways into 16 points on the offensive end of the floor. Panuco’s two steals led the way for Howard Payne.

How It Happened

Howard Payne started off strong, putting together an 11-10 lead heading into the second quarter. Howard Payne did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring six of its 11 points close to the basket.

The Yellow Jackets could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 24-22.

LeTourneau continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 41-32 advantage before Howard Payne went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Azaylee Santos, to trim its deficit to 41-37 with 46 seconds to go in the third. LeTourneau countered and stretched its lead to 44-37 heading into the fourth. Howard Payne knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 15 total points.

LeTourneau kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 51-37 advantage before Howard Payne went on a 9-0 run, finished off by Clay’s layup, to shrink the deficit to 51-46 with 6:14 to go in the contest. LeTourneau responded and outscored the Yellow Jackets the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 70-58. Howard Payne fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 21 points.

Game Notes

» Caitlyn Panuco notched a double-double for the Yellow Jackets with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
» Howard Payne lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down eight treys in the game.
» The Yellow Jackets put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 65 percent of made field goals.
» The Howard Payne defense forced 16 turnovers.
» Madison Clay led the Yellow Jackets with a game-high 21 points.
» Howard Payne got a game-high 14 rebounds from Caitlyn Panuco.