Taysie Trejo scored a team-high 18 points and blocked a potential game-tying three-point attempt with three seconds left as the Howard Payne Lady Jackets downed Austin College, 59-54, Monday night at the Brownwood Coliseum.
The Lady Jackets are off a to 3-0 start with their latest triumph, surpassing last year’s win total in a trying 2-23 campaign.
Behind five consecutive three-pointers, Howard Payne turned a 35-32 advantage into a 50-38 cushion with 8:24 remaining. Trejo drained a trio of treys, while Tyra Oliver and Trynadee Greenwell also converted from long range during the critical run.
Austin College (1-3) gradually closed the gap to 57-54 in the closing seconds, where Megan O’Neil’s trying three-point try was swatted away by Trejo, who was fouled after grabbing the rebound and sank two free throws with one second on the clock.
Along with Trejo, Greenwell also finished in double figures for the Lady Jackets with 10 points followed by Asia Mitchell with eight; Oliver and Aja Holmes with five each; Kiara Green, Anna Beamesderfer and Jazlyn Braithwaite with four apiece; and Brenna Walsh with one point.
The Lady Jackets shot just 28 percent (19 of 67) from the floor, but hit 40 percent (12 of 30) of their three-pointers and 69 percent (9 of 13) from the free throw line. HPU also owned a 45-40 edge in rebounds and turned the ball over 17 times while taking it away 18 times.
Austin College drained 40 percent (23 of 57) of its shots but only 13 percent (2 of 15) of its treys and a mere 43 percent (6 of 14) of its free throws.
Brooklyn Matthews and Naomi Anamekwe both scored 10 points to pace Austin College.
The Lady Jackets are back in action at 1 p.m. Wednesday as they host Southwestern – which they defeated, 60-34, in Georgetown on Nov. 14 – in the first half of a doubleheader with the Yellow Jackets (3-1).
After the Thanksgiving break, HPU will face St. Thomas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Schreiner at noon Sunday in the University of St. Thomas tournament in Houston.
