The Howard Payne women’s basketball team got a 23-point showing from the bench, but fell 83-59 to the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders at home Thursday.

The Yellow Jackets (4-16, 0-4) had three players score in double figures, led by Kaley Nicholson, who had 14 points, six rebounds and two steals. Caitlyn Panuco added 14 points and Madison Clay helped out with 12 points.

The Howard Payne offense was very productive from beyond the arc, knocking down eight threes on 27 attempts. Nicholson was the most prolific shooter for the Yellow Jackets, draining four treys in the contest.

How It Happened

Howard Payne struggled out of the gate, falling behind 26-9 at the end of the first quarter.

The Yellow Jackets continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 45-25 halftime deficit.

Howard Payne’s deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Yellow Jackets faced a 65-39 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Howard Payne knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its 14 total points.

Mary Hardin-Baylor kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing an 83-54 advantage before Howard Payne went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Nicholson’s layup, to shrink the deficit to 83-59 with 1:20 to go in the contest, a score which would hold for the rest of the game. Howard Payne took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 20 points in the paint.

Game Notes

» Howard Payne lit it up from three point land, knocking down eight treys in the game.
» The Yellow Jackets shared the ball well, recording an assist on 62 percent of made field goals.
» The Howard Payne bench came alive by scoring 23 points to its scoring output.
» Kaley Nicholson and Caitlyn Panuco led the Yellow Jackets with 14 points each.
» Howard Payne got a team-high six rebounds from Kaley Nicholson.

The Lady Jackets face off against UT Dallas in a non-conference matchup at home this Saturday, February 1st, at 1 PM.