PLAINVIEW, Texas — The Oklahoma Panhandle State women's basketball team (5-13, 2-10 SAC) recorded a season-high 17 assists Monday night at Wayland Baptist (8-9, 7-5) in a competitive 72-61 loss.
 
Though OPSU fell behind 20-8 late in the first quarter, the Aggies climbed back to within five points in the fourth frame before the hosts made the plays necessary to escape victorious. The 11-point final margin was the closest game in the matchup history since the 2018-19 season, as WBU won its 16th straight in the series.
 
Panhandle State got off to a fine start, as Zamari Reece sunk an open three-pointer to help the visitors to a 7-4 advantage early. WBU then used an aggressive zone press to propel it on a 16-1 spurt before a few Aggie trips to the line made it 20-12, Flying Queens, after one quarter.
 
Mar'kia Pratt scored the opening bucket of the second frame, and she went on to find Tryssa Dowd for a layup on the next possession. The Aggies kept looking for Dowd, and the freshman post had sustained success, scoring the next 10 OPSU points to get her team back in the game, trailing 28-24.
 
A 9-0 run from WBU tilted momentum back in its favor late in the second quarter, but buckets by Pratt and Dowd stemmed the tide, making it 39-30 at the half.
 
OPSU quickly cut its deficit to six in the third quarter on a layup from La'Tommas Johnson-Nash, though another solid stretch from the Queens pushed their lead to double digits again. Four straight points from Johnson-Nash and Heidi Rodriguez to close the third quarter made it a nine-point game, 59-50, with 10 minutes remaining.
 
A pair of corner triples by Rodriguez cut Wayland's lead to five to open the fourth, and Reece twice kept it a two-possession game with layups midway through the period. WBU found its offensive stride down the stretch, however, ending the Aggies' bid for another comeback.
 
Dowd scored 18 points and added six rebounds, while Pratt was excellent again with 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and a career-high four steals. The duo was efficient as well, making a combined 13-of-24 shots.
 
Rodriguez added 10 points on just five field goal tries, and Reece ran the offense with nine points and five assists.
 
What's up next: OPSU returns from its single-game road trip to play host to RV Langston (16-2, 10-2 SAC) on Thursday at 6 p.m.