The University of Texas of the Permian Basin women's ,basketball team dropped a 76-61 non-conference contest against Midwestern State Saturday afternoon in Wichita Falls, Texas.

The Falcons got off to a fast start, hitting its first eight shots of the game with six points each from Taniqua Ards and Teisha King in the first five minutes to grab a 17-11 lead.

Midwestern State closed out the first half on a 10-2 run on its way to taking a 10-point 42-32 lead at halftime.

UTPB was able to pull to within five points on a 3-pointer from Giselle Loya on the Falcons' first possession after halftime and a layup by Ards.

Midwestern State rebounded to push its lead back out to nine and held a comfortable advantage over the remainder of the second half.

Ards led all scorers with a game-high 20 points on 10-of-16 shooting on the night. Heartland Conference leading-scorer Teisha King added 16 points with five assists and Briannah Matthews scored 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds.

Shatoia Gober paced the Mustangs with 18 points, shooting 66 percent on 8-of-12 shooting. Andrea Carter added 16 points while  Kirsti Degelia chipped in 12 points.

UTPB closes out action in 2012 early next week, traveling to Stephensville, Texas, for its second game of the season against Tarleton State at 6 p.m. Tuesday night. The Falcons won the first meeting between the schools earlier this season in an 82-79 home overtime victory.