Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Odessa, Texas—The University of Texas-Permian Basin Falcons took two wins over the OPSU Aggie basketball teams Saturday afternoon; the Aggie women suffered a ten-point loss (65-75) and the men fell eight points short of victory (78-86).

Both Aggie teams made strong runs against the Falcons showing grit and persistence against tough Heartland opponents. The women played with purpose in the first half besting PB in field goals (38-26 percent), free-throws (79-64 percent), and rebounds (20-17.) The main area of disparity lied in three-point attempts where the Aggies took zero shots from beyond the arc, while the Falcons landed 5-15 at long-distance.

The Aggies held a ten-point lead with 12:45 left in the opening half, but PB quickly tied the score with three three-pointers and a successful shot from the line. The teams would even the score again four times before the break.

After half-time adjustments were made the Lady Falcons came back with a 15-8 run on the Aggies to increase their lead to ten points at the 14:41 mark. The Aggies battled to within four points with ten minutes left in the game, but the Falcons capitalized on turnovers and Aggie fouls taking an eight-point victory in the end. With their fifth conference win the Falcons improve to 11-6 on the season; the Aggie women drop to 2-17 with the loss.

Brianna Jones was the game's leading scorer totaling 20 points for the Falcons. Sade Tutson led the Aggies in scoring with 17 points, followed closely by Tatyana Bell who earned her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Hannah Tatum was strong on defense with eight total rebounds (seven defensive), two blocks and two steals for the Aggies. Overall the Aggies averaged 40 percent from the field, 40 percent at three-point range and 82 percent from the line; the Falcons three-point game saved them in the end as they went 11-31 compared to OPSU's 2-5.

The Aggie men came off the tip with a foul giving the Falcons two early points from the line. Shots were traded on both ends of the court and a John Lazenby three-pointer put the Aggies on top 11-10 at the 16:19 mark. The Falcons went on a 14-2 run and quickly pulled ahead sending the Aggies to the locker room down by nine (48-39.)

Chipping away at the Falcon's first-half lead, the Aggies found themselves within two points after another Lazenby three with 14:21 remaining in the game. Antonio Manns, Jr. hit a jump shot to tie things up at 59-59 and a technical foul on the Faclons sent Lazenby to the line giving the Aggies their first lead of the second half with twelve minutes left on the clock (60-59.) The Falcons held a three-point advantage with 4:13 left on the clock; four Aggie fouls in the remaining minutes of the game gave UTPB an edge to seal the deal and take the win.

The Falcons were strong on the boards totaling 43 rebounds to OPSU's 32; PB also out-scored the Aggies in the paint 40-24 and earned 18 second-chance points. For the game the Aggies averaged 41 percent from the field, 36 percent from three-point range and 63 percent in free-throws. The Falcons are now tied with Lubbock Christian for second place in the Heartland Conference with seven conference wins and an overall record of 12-6. The Aggie men own one conference win and an overall record of 3-15.

Antonio Manns, Jr. scored a game-high 27 points and took the team-high in rebounds with eight. Manns and Lazenby combined for six of the Aggies' nine three-point shots; Lazenby totaled 17 points on the game. PB's Codye Hatcher was close to perfect going 9-9 from the field and 8-10 at the line; Hatcher earned a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds.

Both Aggie teams will travel to Lubbock, Texas for a re-match against Lubbock Christian Thursday, Jan. 29. The women's game will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men at 7:30 p.m. Keep up with the Aggies live via video and stat links available on the schedule pages of the OPSU Aggie Athletics website.