ODESSA, Texas (December 20, 2025) – Jonesha Neal's layup in the final two seconds lifted UT Permian Basin to a big regional win over the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, 70-68, in the Falcons' final game before Christmas Break.

UTPB (8-4 overall) entered the fourth quarter leading by two points (47-45) and started the final period with a personal 7-0 run by Waikimihia Douglas-Karauna to go up by nine points (54-45) two minutes in.

Douglas-Karauna started the period with a 3-pointer before scoring on back-to-back layups while UCCS was hampered by two offensive fouls in the first 63 seconds of the fourth quarter.

UTPB scored 15 points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter after starting the period 7-for-8 from the field and taking an eight-point lead (62-54) after the seas parted for a layup by Pa'Shawna Wheeler.

It was a three-point UTPB lead (62-59) before four straight free throws, two by Madison Walters and two by Neal, gave the Falcons some breathing room up 66-59 with 2:47 remaining.

After a 3-pointer by the Mountain Lions' Jayla Jackson-Allen, two more free throws by Neal made it 68-62 with 1:59 left to play. Jackson-Allen missed a 3-pointer trying to cut into UTPB's lead, and Walters came up big with an offensive rebound to help the Falcons burn some more clock entering the final minute of the game before adding a big block on a layup attempt by Jackson-Allen on the other end.

The score remained at 68-62 until a layup by the Mountain Lions' Amyah Moore Allen with 45 seconds left. From there, the Falcons began to crack. A pair of turnovers by Kenadi Rising led first to a jumper by Ellie Reynolds and then to a fastbreak layup by Moore Allen to tie it at 68-68 with under 30 seconds to go.

With the prospect of overtime looming after holding a six-point lead in the final two minutes and turning the ball over on its last three possessions, Neal would have nothing to do with overtime and took it into the paint herself to score the game-winning layup.

Douglas-Karauna (7) and Neal (6) accounted for 13 of UTPB's 23 points during the fourth quarter. Doulgas-Karauna would finish with 10 points for the game while Neal finished with eight points.

UTPB was led in scoring by Ja'Nya Thomas with 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the free throw line.

Matching Neal with eight points was Rising, who also tied for game-high honors with five rebounds, and Jasmin Holt, who also tied for game-high honors in both assists (4) and steals (4).

The Falcons shot 8-for-11 (72.73 percent) from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final period, thwarting the Mountain Lions' 3-for-6 mark from three in the quarter.

For UCCS, Jackson-Allen led all scorers with 26 points on 4-for-8 shooting from three while Moore Allen added 20 points. Both players had eight made field goals. Jackson-Allen had a career game, setting new highs in points (26), field goals made and attempted (8-of-17), 3-point field goals made and attempted (4-of-8), and free throws made and attempted (6-of-7). Jackson-Allen did her best to keep the Mountain Lions in it in the fourth quarter as made each of her first three 3-point attempts in the final period and also added an and-one to give her 12 points in the quarter.

The game started with UTPB leading 5-0 after a nice pass from Holt over the top of the defense to Mikalah Buckley on the Falcons' first possession of the game was followed by a 3-pointer by Holt from the top of the key on the assist from Rising.

It was a strong first quarter for the Falcons, who led 9-3 after a steal and a fastbreak layup by Holt two and a half minutes in and then led by as many as seven points (18-11) in the opening period after an offensive rebound and layup by Thomas with one minute left.

The second quarter featured three lead changes in the first three minutes before the Falcons fell behind 27-21 after back-to-back 3-pointers by the Mountain Lions just before the halfway mark.

UTPB battled back to tie it at 27-27 with under two minutes left before halftime after a steal and a fastbreak layup by Walters on one possession was followed by a defensive rebound and assist by Walters on a fastbreak layup by Neal two possessions later.

A pair of two-point jumpers by Alonda Reyes would help UTPB retake the lead in the final minute; and a steal, offensive rebound and layup by Holt with 30 seconds left made it a 33-30 lead at halftime.

UTPB would never trail again as its first possession of the second half saw the same play the Falcons ran on their first possession of the game as Holt passed it over the top to Buckley for the layup. The rest of the third quarter saw the two teams pick up the physicality, helping set up the intense fourth quarter.

UTPB finished the game shooting at least 50 percent for the fourth game in a row, showcasing a much-improved offensive output from the first few weeks of the season. The Falcons also made 19-of-23 free throws (82.6 percent), their second-most made free throws in a game this season and their fifth time shooting over 80 percent from the line. UTPB also dominated the paint, netting 38 points to the Mountain Lions' 22.

It was an important South Central Regional win for UTPB as UCCS was coming off a 71-67 upset win at home on Tuesday over No. 3 Lubbock Christian University, the team that beat them in the NCAA South Central Regional Quarterfinal just last season. UCCS had a fantastic 2024-25 season, making their first NCAA tournament appearance since the 2016-17 season after winning the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament as the sixth seed, defeating No. 3-seed Adams State University, No. 2-seed Western Colorado University, and No. 1-seed Colorado Mesa University in the championship game.

"This game was a big-time regional game," spoke UTPB Head Women's Basketball Coach Rae Boothe. "UCCS is a great team and this was a great team win. We had great balance in our scoring and shot very well at the free throw line. What a way for our players to go into Christmas Break. I'm so proud of them. I'm glad our break isn't too long, because when we return we face defending LSC and Regional champs TWU."

UT Permian Basin is off until after the Christmas Break and returns to action on Friday, January 2, when it hosts No. 4 Texas Woman's University for a 2 p.m. tipoff inside the Falcon Dome.