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Feb. 7, 2004

Box Score

WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Saturday night's Lone Star Conference South division game between West Texas A&M University and Midwestern State University had it all: ties, lead-changes, controversial calls and last-second heroics. In the end, the 22nd-ranked Lady Buffs had their 13-game winning streak snapped with a 70-66 overtime loss to the Lady Indians.

The loss snapped WTAMU's 13-game winning streak and was their fourth in the last five trips to Wichita Falls, as the Lady Buffs are now 18-3 overall and 5-2 in the LSC South action. WTAMU is tied atop the LSC South division standings with Eastern New Mexico, who defeated Texas Woman's 77-46 Saturday afternoon.

MSU, the preseason LSC South favorite, improved to 14-7 overall and 4-4 in LSC South action. The win snaps a skid for the Lady Indians, who had lost four of their previous six contests.

Junior forward Celeste Stevenson netted a game-high 27 points, including eight of WTAMU's points in a row and 11 of 13 points, at one stretch in the second half, part of her 18 points after halftime. Stevenson also tied a career-high with five steals, but committed seven turnovers, many of them traveling violations on her way to the basket for several made shots.

Fellow junior forward Vasha Adams registered her second-straight double-double and fourth of the year with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Jel-ani Armstrong led MSU with a double-double, sharing scoring honors with Meosha Walker with 20 points apiece, while Armstrong pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Walker had a whopping 11 turnovers, part of the 26 turnovers force by the Lady Buffs' defense.

WTAMU was 25-53 from the field (47.2 percent), but were a paltry 1-10 (10.0 percent) from 3-point land, a season low percentage and tied for the fewest makes in a game. The Lady Buffs are 9-50 (.180) from behind the 3-point arc in their last four games.

The lone make Saturday night was a trey from senior guard Carlee Howard with 1:30 left in regulation to give WTAMU a 55-52 lead.

MSU's Meosha Walker hit two free throws with 1:00 remaining. Jel-ani Armstrong rebounded her own miss and hit the put-back to give the Lady Indians a 56-55 lead with 13 seconds left.

After three time-outs by WTAMU, first to set up the final play, then after seeing MSU's defensive alignment, sophomore guard Jennifer Brock was fouled on a drive. Brock went to the line and hit the first of the two free throws. There was a scramble for the rebound and a tie-up with the jump ball originally being awarded to MSU.

However, after a lengthy discussion by the officials, they ruled that it was WTAMU's ball, as the possession arrow hadn't been switched over from the previous jump ball.

The Lady Buffs ran a play, but sophomore guard Tiffany Lewis' game-winning layup was off the mark and MSU's Sonya Calhoun rebounded. The Lady Indians tried to push the ball upcourt, but Lewis stole the pass and launched a shot from just inside the half-court line. The shot floated through the air as the buzzer sounded but sailed wide-right, forcing overtime.

Walker opened the extra session with a jumper 12 seconds in to give MSU a 58-56 lead.

Lewis hit a jumper as the shot clock was winding down to tie it at 58-all at the 4:14 mark.

MSU's Adrian Fincher hit two free throws with 3:47 left before Brock responded with a three-point play with 3:24 to play to give WTAMU a 61-60 lead.

Walker reclaimed the lead for the Lady Indians at 62-61 on a jumper with 3:18 remaining.

Stevenson hit the first of two free throws at the 3:00 mark to tie it and Adams rebounded the miss and layed it up for a 64-62 lead.

Armstrong drove the lane and missed, but corralled the rebound, her 10th offensive board of the night, and scored on the putback to retie the score at 64-64 with 2:39 left in the game.

Stevenson hit a jumper with 2:30 to play before Walker hit two free throws to knot the score for the fifth time in overtime and 12th time in the game at 66-all with 1:57 remaining.

Armstrong hit what turned out to be the game-winning points on two free throws wth 34 seconds left.

WTAMU ate some time off the clock, and ran a play, but Adams' layup came up short and Walker rebounded and was fouled. She hit both free throws, capping the night at a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe.

Howard's 3-pointer with one tick left on the clock was off the mark, dealing the Lady Buffs the loss.

WTAMU returns home to the friendly confines of the WTAMU Event Center, hosting Texas Woman's on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.

The Lady Buffs have a rematch with Midwestern State on Saturday, Feb. 14, in a 6 p.m. tip-ff.

Saturday will be "Take A Kid To The Game," an NCAA sponsored event with kids 12 and under admitted free when accompanied by a paid adult, with adult general admission ticket costing $4. For more information, contact the WTAMU Ticket Office at 806-651-1414.

-WT-