ABILENE, Texas – The last two games for McMurry Women's Basketball saw strong first halves, but squandered leads in the second half.

Tonight against Howard Payne, the War Hawks flipped the script.

Tied at 34-34 heading into the break, it was McMurry who would finish the second half stronger en route to a 75-63 win over the Yellow Jackets in American Southwest Conference play on Thursday night inside Kimbrell Arena.

With the victory, McMurry (8-4, 1-3) earned its first conference win of the season.

The War Hawks had for scorers in double digits, including freshman Cassidy Melton's team-leading 15 points. Melton finished 7-9 from the field (77.8 percent) and made her lone three-point attempt for a new career-high in points.

The senior duo of Sarah Doherty and Skyler Reyna finished with 11 and 10 points respectively, while freshman post Destiny Mathews added 10. Reyna had a game-high 13 rebounds, completing her sixth double-double of the season.

Freshman guard Taya Bridges also contributed in a unique way, grabbing a career-high nine rebounds to go along with six points.

McMurry shot 40 percent from the field (26-65), but the battle was won from behind the arc. The War Hawks sank 7-15 three-point baskets to finish at 46.7 percent, while holding Howard Payne (6-7, 2-2) to just 18.8 percent from downtown (3-16). McMurry came into the night with the sixth-ranked opponent three-point percentage in the nation, holding the opposition to just 22.0 percent.

McMurry also won the boards, 52-38, and led for over 28 minutes in the contest. The War Hawks never trailed by more than four points in the contest, gaining the lead for good with 1:33 remaining in the third quarter.

Howard Payne trailed 21-15 after the first period but surged back to tie the game before halftime. Taking a five-point lead in the third quarter, McMurry rolled into the final period and doubled its lead before the media timeout. HPU would not recover.

The War Hawks return to the hardwood this Saturday at 1 p.m. to host Sul Ross State.