From the word go on Saturday it was all UT Permian Basin Women's Basketball in their wire-to-wire 71-52 win over Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Falcons scored on their opening two possessions and didn't look back, eventually pulling away in the second half to improve their Lone Star Conference record to 3-1. At 3-1, the Falcons are tied with the 2019-20 team for their best start in LSC play since joining the league in 2016-17.
The Falcons got big time performances all over the court.
Alexus Quaadman had her second double-double of the seaso with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Andreea Mancha continues to light it up with a game-high 20 points along with seven boards.
Avalon Munoz came close to a triple-double, scoring 12 points with seven assists and six rebounds.
Holly Hemmeline was in double figures with 14 points, knocking down four threes.
Just over two-and-a-half minutes into the game the Falcons led by six thanks to back-to-back
Morgan Helgesen buckets. A pair of
Diavian Spencer free throws pushed the lead to eight but not before the a run by the Lions cut the lead to three. In the final two minutes of the quarter, Hemmeline scored five points and Mancha followed with a pair of free throws to push the lead to 21-11 at the end of the opening stanza.
Every time the Lions felt like they'd climb back into the game, the Falcons had an answer. The home team cut their deficit to five, but a layup from Mancha and a Hemmeline three made it a 10-point game again. Down the stretch of the first half, the teams traded points and eventually went into the locker room with the Falcons ahead 40-32.
Coming out of the half the Lions made things interesting and cut the Falcon lead to six. Any thoughts of a comeback were put to rest though as the Falcons took control with an 11-0 run in which they held the Lions scoreless for nearly seven minutes of game action. Down the stretch the Falcons made their free throws and held on for the victory.
Helgesen added eight points and five rebounds. The Falcons controlled the boards, outrebounding the Lions 44-35.
The Falcons return to the Permian Basin for their final game before the break. They'll host Angelo State on Friday at 2 PM in Odessa before taking a week off for the holidays. Download the UTPB Athletics App to follow the team all season long.
