Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Corpus Christi, Texas—With eight of their first nine contests taking place on the road to start the season, the Panhandle State women's basketball team has struggled to find their stride. The Aggies currently own a 1-5 record with zero road wins thus far, falling to Northwestern Oklahoma State (83-54) Monday and in an exhibition game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (66-40) on Wednesday.

Monday's matchup saw a strong second-half performance from the Aggies who improved their shooting percentages by over 20 percent from the field and close to 30 percent at three-point range. The Rangers held a 42-17 lead after the first half and the Aggies helped NWOSU add 25 points off turnovers in the first two periods of play. After the break the Panhandle looked to their bench for support and received assistance from Shaletha Mayberry who brought in five points, along with Monti Regier who hit one of the Aggies' four three-point shots in the second half. Starters Taylor Acosta and Denise Levine also found rhythm after halftime earning eight points each for the Aggies.

Acosta finished with a team-high of 13 points and offered a game-high of six assists. Levine totaled ten points and took three steals from the Rangers in the game. Northwestern beat the Aggies beyond the arc landing 12-27 three-pointers, while Panhandle put down 5-19 long distance shots. In overall shooting percentage the Rangers averaged 44.8 percent and the Aggies averaged 36 percent from the field. Panhandle was strong at the boards out-rebounding Northwestern 40-36 led by Hannah Whitaker and Darby Price who had game-highs with six rebounds each; Tiara Roberson brought down five boards for the Aggies and Taylor Acosta, Addison Munsch and Johlicia Williams each had four in the game. The Ranger's leading scorer was Kalea King with a game-high of 23 points; Northwestern's top rebounders totaled four boards.

The Aggies got off to another slow start on Thursday scoring just seven points in the opening period against the Islanders. A turnaround in the second quarter brought the Aggies their highest scoring of the game with 15 points, including a successful layup and three-pointer from Denise Levine and four good free-throws from Addison Munsch. Down by only eight points at halftime, the Aggies had an opportunity to turn things around, but TAMCC took the third quarter 15-6 to pull into a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter (45-28). Morgan Latta and Tiara Roberson each added four points for the Aggies in the final ten minutes, but Panhandle's efforts for a rally were extinguished as the Islanders totaled 21 points in the fourth quarter to hold on for the home court win.

The loss to TAMCC does not affect the Aggies' overall record and offered extra experience for the Panhandle players prior to entering the conference stretch. Team highs against the Islanders came from Addison Munsch who led in scoring with eight points and went 4-4 form the line; Denise Levine also shot well adding seven points on two field goals, a three-pointer and two-of-two free throws. Darby Price and Levine led the Aggies in rebounds with seven and six boards each respectively. Price also brought down two blocks along with Hannah Whitaker who led the Aggies with three blocks in the game. The Islanders' leading scorer was Brianna Jackson who shot 100 percent for the game totaling 13 points and going 1-1 beyond the arc and 2-2 at the line. The game's only double-double went to TAMCC's Camesha Davis who finished with 11 points and ten rebounds.

Head coach Charles Terry is ready for a break from their "brutal schedule" on the road, but hopes that it will help prepare the team for a solid conference run, "We have taken some lumps but we are steadily improving. Having played high-level Division I and Division II games has definitely helped us to gauge where we need to be." He added, "I am very proud of our young ladies for staying the course and working hard through it all."

The Aggie women have one more away game before returning to their home court next week; a matchup with Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. is set for Saturday, Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. Panhandle State women's basketball will then enjoy three-straight home games starting with a game against Rockhurst on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. Heartland Conference play will begin on Dec. 17 with a double-header against Oklahoma Christian; the women tip off at 1 p.m. followed by the Aggie men's game at 3. The ladies' final home game of the fall will take place on Monday, Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m. with a conference contest against St. Edward's. Fans are reminded to take part in both the Aggies CAN Make a Difference Food Drive and the Panhandle Softball team's clothing drive during the remaining home games before the holidays.