ABILENE, Texas – The McMurry women's basketball will be looking to return to the win column on Thursday evening when it plays host to Texas A&M-International University. Tip-off at Kimbrell Arena is slated for 5:30 p.m. as the front end of the women's-men's doubleheader versus the Dustdevils.
Both games will be carried locally on KZQQ 1560-AM in the Abilene area and also available worldwide via the War Hawk Network (
www.hprnetwork.com). Live video for both contests will also be available at
SkyboxLive.com.
The last time these two teams met in Laredo back on January 17, it took a buzzer-beating three-point basket by senior forward
M.J. Vickers to give McM the 59-56 road win. Vickers' big bucket saved the War Hawks from a late-game slide that saw the team give up a 13-point lead in the final 14 minutes.
Rikeita Thomas led McMurry in that first-ever meeting between the teams in women's hoops, pouring in 13 points.
Keshia Collins and freshman
Claire Bruffey each contributed 10 points.
TAMKIU's Amanda Mangan had 18 points to lead all scorers. Fellow Dustdevil Malika Jackson came off the bench to tally a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds.
On the year, TAMIU is led in scoring by Tina Dang's 13.2 p.p.g. Samantha Chacon checks in with 12.6 p.p.g., along with 10.0 p.p.g. from Jackson.
Jackson also averages 7.2 rebounds per game. Mangan is 5.4 r.p.g.
McMurry has relied on a balanced offensive approach in 2012-13. Collins is the War Hawks' only player in double figure scoring average at 13.3 p.p.g., but the Dr. Veronica Snow's team has no less than six players at 4.0 points per game or better.
Collins is the top rebounder among the active players at 6.6 caroms per contest. She is also averaging 3.2 steals per game, which far-and-away leads the Heartland Conference. Collins also has 18 blocked shots on the year and shoots 80.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Thomas, in her fourth season of running the McMurry offense at the point, is averaging 9.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She has led the team in scoring five times this season.
Bruffey has appeared in all 20 contests off the bench, averaging 5.9 p.p.g.
Vickers has started the last six of her 12 games played since joining the team following volleyball season. Vickers has been the model of balance, averaging 5.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.
The good news for McMurry's team is that – after starting the season 0-5 – it has not lost twice in a row. The bad news is, however, that the team hasn't been able to string together back-to-back wins either, since toppling Arkansas-Fort Smith and Wayland Baptist consecutively in early December.
The War Hawks are coming off of a 65-54 loss at Oklahoma Christian last Thursday. The Dustdevils defeated UAFS, 61-45, on Saturday.
