ODESSA, Texas (November 16, 2025) – The University of Texas Permian Basin women's basketball team battled No. 21-ranked Colorado Mesa University to overtime, but was outscored 11-3 in the extra period and fell 57-49 in a defensive struggle on Sunday afternoon inside the Falcon Dome.

Jonesha Neal recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Kenadi Rising matched her with 10 points.

Pa'Shawna Wheeler (9 points) hit a stepback 3-pointer to force overtime, and Mikalah Buckley (8 points) hit a clutch 3-pointer to help setup Wheeler's shot.

UTPB (1-1 overall) missed its first eight shots from the field and did not connect on a field goal until seven and a half minutes in.

Despite just two field goals in the first quarter for the Falcons, it was only a six-point game (14-8), the difference being two 3-pointers for the Mavericks.

The second quarter saw Rising hit a 3-pointer in the final minute to make it an eight-point game (27-19) at halftime, and then Rising opened the second half with a layup to get the margin back down to six points.

However, UTPB would go on to trail by as many as 15 points (37-22) in the final three minutes of the third quarter. Perhaps a sign of things to come, a 3-pointer by Wheeler just before the buzzer at the end of the period got the deficit back down to single digits (38-29) heading into the final period.

Rising and Wheeler's makes to bookend the action in the third quarter were UTPB's only made field goals of the period, its second time with only two makes in a quarter. However, CMU was just 1-fof-15 from the field and was 0-for-9 from three in the third quarter.

UTPB's comeback in the fourth quarter started with a long two-point jumper by Neal, and then a fastbreak layup by Jasmin Holt made it a four-point game (38-34) with just under seven and a half minutes remaining.

After the two teams entered the fourth quarter with just two made 3-pointers apiece, they combined to make three straight 3-pointers following Holt's basket.

In the final five minutes of regulation, Buckley connected on a midrange jumper over her defender to make it 44-40.

Down 46-40 in the final two minutes, UTPB turned to the full-court press to try and make up the difference. That and three offensive rebounds by Rising in the period helped UTPB try to claw back into it.

After a shot clock violation on the Mavericks, Wheeler assisted Buckley's 3-pointers to cut the Falcons' deficit in half (46-43) with under 30 seconds remaining.

A tie-up forced by Ja'Nya Thomas on defense in the backcourt on the ensuing possession gave the ball back to the Falcons with 20 seconds remaining, setting up Wheeler's game-tying 3-pointer on the assist by Buckley.

After the two teams combined for just three makes from the field in the third quarter, UTPB was 6-for-15 (40 percent) from the field while outscoring CMU 17-8 in the fourth quarter.

CMU opened overtime with a 3-pointer and a long two-pointer with a foot on the line on its first two possessions, forcing UTPB to go back to the full-court press for the final 3:30.

A layup by Mason Rowland in the final minute of overtime made it a four-point lead (53-49) for the Mavericks, who also saw Rowland make four straight free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the win.

UTPB was just 1-for-5 from the field in overtime and missed each of its final four shots while CMU, after making just three field goals in the fourth quarter, made three of its five shots in overtime.

Rowland led all players with 24 points and 10 rebounds for CMU. She was 5-for-24 from the field and just 2-for-11 from three, but was a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe. She was key in the overtime period as she scored six of her 24 points in the extra period.

It was a gutsy performance for UTPB against a CMU squad that was picked to repeat as Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Champions for the third straight season. The Mavericks went 25-6 a season ago including an 18-2 mark in the conference for their second straight conference title. In Sunday's contest, the Falcons held two-time RMAC Player of the Year and two-time WBCA All-American Olivia Reed Thyne to seven points on 2-for-5 shooting.

"Great defensive effort overall and fight, especially in the fourth to take it to overtime," said UTPB Head Women's Basketball Coach Rae Boothe. "We struggled to score and execute. Losing in overtime is like losing by one point. We can learn a lot from all the one points on both ends of the court. That will help us grow and get better. Credit to Mesa, they showed why they are the top team in the RMAC and ranked."

Both teams shot under 28 percent from the field and under 21 percent from three. CMU was just a little bit better at the line, going 18-for-21 (85.7 percent) compared to 12-for-17 (70.6 percent) for UTPB. Rrebounds were virtually even at 45-44 and both teams had at least 17 turnovers.

Next up will be the second of three tournaments to open the 2025-26 season for the UTPB women's basketball team. The Falcons will head to Lubbock Christian University for the Fairfield Inn Classic from November 21-22. UTPB plays Southern Arkansas University on Friday, followed by Southern Nazarene University on Saturday. Tipoff for both games is 3:30 p.m. inside the Rip Griffin Center.