Wichita, KS - Texas A&M International University overcame a 16-point second half deficit to pull off a thrilling 48-47 overtime win over Newman in Heartland Conference play on Thursday night at Fugate Gym in Wichita, Kan. The win keeps TAMIU (9-9, 5-5 Heartland) in the thick of the race for a spot in the four-team Heartland Conference Tournament.
TAMIU shot poorly in the first half, making only seven of 27 field attempts (25.9%) allowing the Jets to build a 27-17 halftime lead. The Dustdevils missed their first two field goal attempts in the second half and Newman (6-12, 3-7) took its biggest lead of the game at 34-18 on a layup by Shakira Raynor at the 16:28 mark.
The Dustdevils slowly chipped away at NU's lead from that point. Alexis Thomas cut the lead to 38-31 on a 3-pointer midway through the second half and the Dustdevils went on an 11-4 run over the last 10 minutes of regulation to send the game into overtime tied 42-42.
The lead changed hands six times in overtime with neither team building more than a one point lead. Jessica Prieto sunk two free throw shots with five seconds remaining to put the Dustdevils up 48-47. Prieto then preserved the win with a block of a 3-point attempt by Newman's Cierra Tjaden at the buzzer.
TAMIU head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson beamed with pride on her team's come from behind win.
"I'm very proud of the girls," Jackson stated.
"I'm always talking to them about handling adversity and facing challenges head on. We had our backs up against the wall and they persevered. They fought hard and this is a great team win for us on the road."
Prieto played all 45 minutes and finished with a team-high 27 points to go along with three blocks, three steals and six rebounds. Jessica Woo finished with a team-high nine rebounds and nine points and Bezait Anbesse contributed eight rebounds and a team-high five blocks.
