WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: King, defense carry Lady Falcons to win

Jan 13, 2013 (Odessa American - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Teisha King carried an otherwise quiet offense with a game-high 26 points, a sturdy defense kept shot-happy Oklahoma Panhandle State searching for open looks and the UTPB women's basketball team grinded out a 58-49 victory in a Heartland Conference matchup Saturday at the Falcon Dome.

"We had a great week of practice working on our defense and we knew coming in that was going to be the strongest point of our game," said the senior King, who has been named the Heartland Conference's Player of the Week four times.

It was the second straight conference victory for UTPB (8-5 overall, 2-1 conference), which also received 12 points from Jocelyn Cook and 10 from Taniqua Ards.

Though neither team demonstrated offensive prowess, the Lady Falcons never trailed and compensated for its struggles with a game plan that hindered the Lady Aggies' pension for shooting 3-pointers.

Oklahoma Panhandle State (3-11, 0-3) found comfort in and favored the outside shot, occasionally neglecting an open lane to the basket in order to slow the pace and create a look from beyond the arc. The Lady Falcons were just as comfortable contesting the attempts, despite the spacing the Lady Aggies tried to create.

"We're not a great offensive team. I tell them all the time, we are an inside-out team, and we have (Teisha King)," UTPB head coach Jerome Willis said. "That's pretty much how we go. We let our defense dictate what we do." The Lady Falcons held the Lady Aggies to 26.5 percent shooting for the game, including a 6-of-18 clip on 3-pointers.

Rosa Quintonez and former OC player Meagan Bell each made three 3-pointers for the Lady Aggies. Quintonez led Panhandle State with 11 points.

Shots didn't fall on a regular basis for UTPB, either. The Lady Falcons shot 35.6 percent from the field, but hustle plays paid off in trips to the free-throw line, where they were able to distance themselves.

UTPB converted 15-of-20 from the free-throw line in the first half and opened up a 29-12 edge at halftime. The Lady Falcons ended up going 26-of-38 from the line.

"That's something we expect every game, adversity. We just have to work through it," UTPB's Clarissa Davis said. "We had some goals and we accomplished them as a team." Davis led a dominating performance on the boards by the Lady Falcons, who limited the Lady Aggies to a number of one-and-done trips. Davis corralled 12 rebounds, and UTPB held a 45-28 edge in that department.

UTPB's lone 3-pointer (1-of-9) came at the most opportune time. King, who made a habit of slicing and dicing her way to the hoop in the second half, decided to dish to Cook stationed at the right wing. Cook buried the trey and put some more breathing room between the Lady Falcons and the Lady Aggies, who had suddenly pulled within 10 points, 46-36, midway through the second half.

A free-throw battle ensued down the stretch. UTPB led by as many as 15 points after three King free throws. A late 3-pointer by Bell narrowed the final margin.

UTPB is back in action at 5:30 p.m. Thursday against Heartland Conference opponent Arkansas-Fort Smith in the Falcon Dome.

--Follow Joshua Weaver on Twitter @OAtheWeave ___ (c)2013 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at www.oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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