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Tarleton State University Athletics

GiaAdamsMontanaRecap
Avery Golden
90
Winner Montana Mont 3-8,0-0 Big Sky
85
Tarleton St. TSU 6-5,0-0 WAC
Winner
Montana Mont
3-8,0-0 Big Sky
90
Final
85
Tarleton St. TSU
6-5,0-0 WAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT 1 F
Montana Mont 17 12 24 25 12 90
Tarleton St. TSU 25 19 18 16 7 85

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Grant Cohen

Montana completes comeback to defeat Tarleton State Women’s Basketball in non-conference finale

ABILENE, Texas – Tarleton State Women's Basketball was on the wrong end of a comeback and was defeated by Montana 90-85 in overtime at the ACU Christmas Classic at Moody Coliseum on Saturday. 

The Texans led by as many as 15 points, but Montana shot 58.6% in the second half and made nine of its last 13 shots. The Lady Griz outscored the Texans 12-7 in the overtime period. 

Senior guard Gia Adams led the Texans in scoring with 22 points while matching a career-high eight assists for the second straight game. Adams was named to the ACU Christmas Classic All-Tournament Team shortly after the game. 

Junior forward Shadasia Brackens added 19 points and eight rebounds while senior guard Jakoriah Long scored a season-high 18 points. Senior guard Luka Malinka registered her second double-digit point game of the year with 12 points to go with a season-high six assists. 

Montana struck first by scoring the first five points, but it wasn't long before Tarleton State swung the advantage. Adams and Long led the offensive attack by each getting a bucket before a layup by Brackens put the Texans out in front. 

In order to keep the lead, Tarleton State used the 3-point line to its advantage. Malinka knocked down a triple before Long matched that with one of her own in the closing seconds of the first quarter. Freshman guard Kristian Hieskill capped off the opening period with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to put Tarleton State ahead 25-17. 

The Texans continued to stay out in front in the first half, responding to a pair of Montana buckets with jumpers from Adams and a 3-pointer from Malinka. Back-to-back 3-pointers allowed the Texans to go up by double-digits as the first half came to close. Tarleton State ended the first half on a 6-0 scoring run to go up by 15 into the locker room. 

Just as Tarleton State did in the first half, Montana used the 3-point line as an offensive weapon. The Lady Griz knocked down five straight baskets from beyond the arc to open the second half and cut the deficit to two points. 

The Texans weathered Montana's 3-point storm with baskets of their own. Senior guard/forward Kyriana Jones answered with a 3-pointer while Brackens came up with a layup to keep Tarleton State in front. Adams' 3-pointer put Tarleton State back up by double digits before Montana knocked in a last second layup to make it a nine-point game entering the fourth quarter. 

After the Texans went back up by double digits, Montana answered with a 7-0 scoring run to make it a one possession game with five minutes to play. A layup from Brackens made it a two-possession game with just over two minutes left to play, but Montana knocked down a 3-pointer and a basket while drawing the foul to tie the game with a minute left. 

Malinka knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer with 43 seconds left, but once again Montana answered. The Lady Griz hit the game-tying 3-pointer on their next trip up the floor and forced Tarleton State to miss the potential game winner to go to overtime. 

Montana took the lead in overtime and never relinquished the advantage. The Texans cut the deficit 84-82, but the Lady Griz hit their final four free throws after a jumper to close the game. 

Tarleton State opens Western Athletic Conference play on Monday, December 29 against UT Arlington at 7 p.m. at the EECU Center. Fans can get discounted tickets for the game by using the promo code HOLIDAYBB. 

Postgame Notes
  • Down by as many as 15 points, Montana completed the comeback and defeated Tarleton State 90-85 in overtime at the ACU Christmas Classic on Saturday at Moody Coliseum. The Texans completed non-conference play with a 6-5 record. 
  • Senior guard Gia Adams scored 22 points and matched a career-high eight assists for the second consecutive game. She was named to the ACU Christmas Classic All-Tournament Team. 
  • Tarleton State went into its third overtime game of the season, having a 1-2 record in overtime games this year. It is the first time since the 1988-89 season that Tarleton State has played three overtime games in non-conference play. 
  • Senior guard Jakoriah Long scored a season-high 19 points in the non-conference finale. Long, along with Adams, played all 45 minutes. 
  • Junior forward Shadasia Brackens had her fifth straight game with double-digit points, scoring 19 on Saturday. She was one point shy of matching her career-high. 
  • Senior guard Luka Malinka scored 12 points and dished out a season-high six assists off the bench. It was her second double-digit point game of the season. 
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