SEGUIN, Texas – McMurry Women's Basketball nearly played spoiler on the road for the second straight night, but were unable to get a shot at the buzzer and fell 79-76 at Texas Lutheran on Saturday.
 
For the second straight game, McMurry (0-2) worked its way back from a large second half deficit and gave itself a chance in the final seconds. This time, the War Hawks trailed by as many as 12 points late in the second half, but had a chance to force overtime with two ticks remaining.
 
Down 77-68 with 39 seconds to go, McMurry sparked its comeback with made free throws and forced turnovers at the other end. TLU (1-1) also missed some crucial free throws in that span.
 
Junior Taya Bridges drew a foul with four seconds to go and sank both her free throws, making it 78-76. TLU inbounded it successfully and was fouled immediately, but only made one of its two free throws. Mathews grabbed the rebound and McMurry Head Coach Drew Long called a quick timeout, but the team could not convert at the buzzer.
 
Junior Destiny Mathews had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way, recording double-doubles in back-to-back road games. Tonight is also her fourth straight double-double dating back to last season. Junior transfer Azallee Johnson added 19 points on 8-9 shooting.
 
McMurry opened the contest on a 6-0 run, coming from a successful and-one by Mathews and a three-pointer by Aubrey Guerra. That lead would hold through most of the first quarter, but then TLU chipped away and held a 19-17 lead after the first frame.
 
The War Hawks started the second quarter with another quick run – this time sparked by newcomers – following a layup by Johnson and a triple from freshman Rylee Evans. The Bulldogs then took control and built a 10-point lead by halftime.
 
In the second half, McMurry worked its way back to a four-point deficit at 59-55, but let the game slip back into double-digits. The largest deficit came at 75-63 with 1:52 to go in the fourth quarter, but a gritty-performance by McMurry down the stretch set up an improbable finish.
 
The War Hawks shot 28-59 from the field (47.5 percent), scoring 42 points in the paint. TLU scored more from behind the arc, making 8-21 (38.1 percent) while holding McMurry to 4-17 (23.5 percent).
 
McMurry will hold its home opener next Friday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. against Southwestern inside Kimbrell Arena.