Goodwell, Okla.—The Panhandle State women's basketball team fell short of victory Thursday evening as they were defeated 54-42 by Texas Wesleyan University in a Sooner Athletic Conference matchup at Anchor D Arena.

After starting strong and taking an early 15-10 lead in the first period, the Aggies were outscored 20-7 in the second to go into halftime down by eight. The team battled back in the third 14-12 leaving a six-point deficit to overcome in the final ten minutes of play. A stagnate fourth quarter saw the Aggies outmatched 12-2 at the boards and outscored 12-6 with a 22 percent average from the field.

Head Coach Victor Esparza offered concise comments on the team's performance, "We just have to do a better job of handling pressure and rebounding the ball."

For the game, Panhandle State totaled 15 rebounds, their lowest of the season, while TWU came down with 35 boards on the night. Addison Munsch tallied a team-high of six rebounds and finished as the game leader in scoring with 15 points. Munsch was the only Aggie to acquire double digits, with Hannah Faulks close behind at eight points posted. The Aggies were also outscored off the bench as the Rams brought in 22 points from non-starters to Panhandle's eight, six of which came from junior post Nadia Hayes.

With the loss the Aggies now sit fifth in the SAC standings, holding a 7-4 record on the season and 3-2 in conference play. Coach Esparza added, "We have to turn the page and put this game behind us and get ready for Saturday."

The Aggie women will host another home contest this weekend as they meet with Southwestern Assemblies of God University on Saturday, Jan. 5. The SAC matchup will tip-off at 2 p.m. followed the men's game at 4. Fans can participate in the "Black Out" theme by dressing in black. Saturday's game is sponsored by PTCI and will offer free live stats and video streaming online at opsuaggies.com.