Women's Basketball 1/24/2013 11:50:00 PM

Chacon’s last second free throws propel Dustdevils

Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (January 24) – Samantha Chacon capped a furious comeback sinking two clutch free throws with only six seconds remaining in the game to give the TAMIU women’s basketball team a 73-71 win over Oklahoma Christian University Thursday night at the Eagles’ Nest.

Trailing by eight points with just five minutes remaining in the game, the Dustdevils held the Eagles to just one field goal and outscored the home team 15-5 the rest of the way. Oklahoma Christian also struggled from the free throw line down the stretch, hitting only 4-11 attempts in the game’s final ten minutes. Roz Hamilton managed to get a long three-point attempt off for the Eagles at the final buzzer but the shot came up short as TAMIU picked up the big road win.

“We had some big plays and big free throws down the stretch that were key in putting us in a position to win the game,” said Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. “Credit to our defense for getting us stops when we needed them down the stretch. Our backs were against the wall and our team battled and fought until the last second. I am very proud of them for that.”

The Eagles jumped out to a four-point lead early in the first half, but Amanda Mangan, who knocked down 7-10 shots from the field, connected on a jumper after a steal by Sam Chacon to put TAMIU on top 14-13. After Oklahoma Christian fought their way back to tie the game at 19, Tina Dang knocked down a three which ignited a 13-5 TAMIU run to give the Dustdevils their biggest lead of the game at 32-24. The Eagles rallied in the final two minutes of the half however, outscoring TAMIU 8-2 to trim the lead to 34-32 at the break.

The Dustdevils opened the second half with five straight points to push their lead back to seven points, but the Eagles responded with five straight of their own to pull back within two. TAMIU maintained a slim lead until Logan Mckee tied the game at 53 with a three with at the 11:53 mark. Mangan and Kim Brown answered with five straight points for TAMIU, but the Eagles nearly put the game out of reach going on a 13-0 run to take a 66-58 lead. With the odds heavily against them, the Dustdevils responded in a big way.

The Dustdevils scored the next eight straight points capped by a Mangan jumper to tie the game at 66. Katy O’Steen managed to convert a big three-point play to give the eagles a 69-66 lead, but Mangan answered with another big shot to make it a one-point game. With 36 seconds remaining Krista Stevens knocked down one of two free throws give Oklahoma Christian a two-point lead, but Alexandria Dews hit the biggest shot of the night to even the game at 71. With the Eagles looking to grab the lead, Malika Jackson forced a crucial turnover and Krista Stevens was forced to foul Chacon to save a layup. Chacon knocked down both shots and Hamilton’s 25-foot three point attempt fell short giving TAMIU the 73-71 win.

Mangan and Chacon led the Dustdevils with 18 points each, combining to go 14-21 from the field. Chacon also added four steals and three assists. Malika Jackson kicked in 12 points for TAMIU hitting 4-7 shots from the floor and finishing 4-4 at the free throw line. Jackson also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in addition to three steals and three assists. TAMIU shot a season best 54.2 percent from the field and connected on 41.7 percent of their shots from three-point range.

Katy O’Steen led Oklahoma Christian with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Logan McKee added 17 points, but the Lady Eagles went just 16-of-28 from the free-throw line (57.1 percent) and committed 23 turnovers, which led to 24 TAMIU points.

The Dustdevils improve their overall record to 7-11 on the season, but their conference record remains at 2-4. TAMIU will get a week-long break before returning to the court on January 31 to take on Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma.

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