Jaguars extend winning streak; struggles to close out games continue

Jags rally late to protect home court over Texas Wesleyan

Trailing for three quarters, Texas A&M University–San Antonio’s women’s basketball squad went on a 21-9 run to gain the lead in the fourth quarter and seal a 73-69 win over the Texas Wesleyan University Rams.

The Jaguars struggled to get into rhythm early, but head coach Chris Minner kept his team’s confidence up.

“We’re still in the game,” Minner said, understanding that if the Jags make shots, his team’s offense would find itself.

“We start making shots; we’re pretty hard to defend,” Minner said.

The backcourt duo of sophomore guard Tamya Whitemon and senior guard Evelyn Lorenzo combined for 35 points, scoring in bunches to keep the Jags in the game.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Whitemon tied the score 55-55 with a 3-pointer, then hit another to give the Jags their first lead, 60-57, at the six-minute mark.

“We knew we were going to get the lead, but just maintaining it, keeping up the pressure,” Whitemon said.

Whitemon’s provided spark off the bench was followed by sophomore forward Emily Carranco and junior forward Maya Simon, scoring eight points each.

The Jags racked up seven steals in the contest, which Minner attributed to pressuring the ball more.

“We turned the temperature up on them. We got to realize we can trap that hard and do it, it causes issues,” Minner said.

As the run continued for the Jags, Lorenzo said she had to “keep it calm, be the leader on the court.”

Lorenzo sealed the victory, making her free throws, fending off the Rams’ late-game efforts.

“It was chippy at the end,” Lorenzo said. “I just knew I had to lock in.”

Now winning three games in a row, Minner believes this victory is a “big win,” as the Rams entered with a 4-1 record and high prestige.

“They’re already picked to finish second in their conference; they’ve already beaten three or four teams in our conference,” Minner said. “That’s supposed to be one of the best teams.”

Even with a 3-1 start, it is acknowledged that the Jags must “keep getting better,” Minner said.

Lorenzo shared the same sentiment, saying, “we just got to go harder in practice.”

The Jaguar women’s basketball team will face off against the Campbellsville University Tigers at 2 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Jaguar Den.

Game-winning shot drops Jaguars at home

Getting the ball past halfcourt, Paul Quinn University junior guard Jordan Hicks heaves up a shot that circles out but immediately drops back in the net as the buzzer sounds.

The Tigers bench cleared to rush the middle of the floor in celebration of the game-winning shot, resulting in a 63-62 Paul Quinn Tigers victory over the Jaguars.

“That’s not a one-possession thing,” A&M–San Antonio men’s basketball head coach Chris Dial said. “Paul Quinn played harder than we did.”

This marks back-to-back losses giving up the lead at home for the Jaguars, giving up their previous game to Huston-Tillotson in overtime.

Dial believes more needs to be done for his team to get over the hump.

“There’s not a whole lot right now for us to be proud of as far as what’s being put on the floor,” Dial said. “The reality is we just don’t play very hard.”

Tigers senior forward Isaiah McCallum scored 18 points and “didn’t see a whole lot of pressure down there,” Dial said.

Trailing 31-30 coming out of halftime, Paul Quinn had an 8-2 run, gaining their first lead 38-33 to start the half. The second half was a battle as Jags junior guard Carson Brown scored eight of his 16 points in the second half to keep them alive.

Dial and his coaching staff sensed the game slipping away as they emphasized in the huddle, “Go back to doing the little things,” Dial said.

“Set tougher screens, they were better coached, showed better body language, won 50-50 balls, made bigger shots and sat down on defense better than we did,” Dial said.

Multiple close losses create a fork in the road for the Jaguars as this can be the story of their season or a learning lesson to improve as a team.

“It could serve us,” Dial said. “I don’t know yet right now if we’ll be the type of team that learns from this and gets better or if this becomes our MO. It’s easy to learn how to lose.”

Having a full week to prepare against the rival matchup of Our Lady of the Lake University Saints at 3 p.m. Nov. 22 at Mabee Gym.