The UTPB men’s and women’s basketball teams have no problems hoisting 3-pointers at any time during any possession.
Which is fine, when the shots go in.
When they don’t, the Falcons suffer through a day like Saturday.
Against visiting Midwestern State, the UTPB men and women combined to take 46 shots from long distance … and made just nine.
That’s 19.6 percent, which quality opponents are going to take advantage of with the extra possessions.
The Mustangs were quality opponents and when all was said and done, boarded the buses back to Wichita Falls after a sweep of UTPB in Lone Star Conference play at the Falcon Dome.
Midwestern State’s Morgan Lenahan led the Mustangs in the women’s game, netting a season-high 31 points in a 70-58 victory.
Frances King added 11 points to the victory.
Avalon Munoz scored 14 points to lead UTPB, with Ogechi Nwodo grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.
In the men’s game, Terrell Wilson and Pierre Sanders each scored 17 points as Midwestern State cruised to a 68-53 victory.
Amaechi Chukwu finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Jordan Horn led Falcons with 16 points, with Quinntez Grimes chipping in 15 and a team-high six rebounds.
Here’s a quick look at both contests:
>> LENAHAN UNSTOPPABLE: The Falcons started the women’s game on a tear, jumping out to a 5-0 lead on a basket by Kim Best and a 3-pointer by Holly Hemmeline.
After a Falcons’ turnover, however, Lenahan connected on a 3-pointer from the corner.
Another turnover resulted in a second straight 3-pointer from Lenahan for the Mustangs’ first lead of the game.
The teams would go back and forth through the first half, with the Mustangs taking 36-30 lead into the locker room at the break.
Lenahan had 19 first-half points.
UTPB duplicated its opening-quarter energy to start the second half, this time with a 7-0 run to take a one-point lead with 7:27 remaining in the third quarter.
Lenahan stopped the run with a conventional three-point play to put Midwestern State back in front on the next possession and the Mustangs pulled away from there, building the lead to as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Lenahan injured her ankle stepping on Munoz’s foot during an inbound play in the second half, came off the court limping, had a trainer look her over and then returned to the game where she drove the lane for a basket before taking herself out of the game for good.
Midwestern State (8-6 overall, 3-2 in conference) was 9-of-17 from 3-point range, while the Falcons (4-10, 0-2) finished 3-of-17 from behind the arc.
A bright spot for UTPB was the play of Nwodo, who finished one point shy of her first career double-double.
>> FALCONS FALTER AT THE START: The UTPB men’s team couldn’t buy a basket through the first 10 minutes, 15 seconds against the Mustangs.
When Grimes converted a layup just past the midway point of the first half, Midwestern State led 17-2 and never looked back.
UTPB missed its first 14 shots of the game and finished 19-of-62 from the field (30.6 percent).
The Falcons also struggled from long distance, hitting just six of 29 attempts from 3-point range.
The Mustangs led wire-to-wire and the Falcons (9-7 overall, 1-3 in conference) never cut the deficit under double digits the rest of the way.
The closet UTPB was came after Horn connected on one of his four 3-pointers early in the second half to make the score 36-24 in favor of the visitors.
Midwestern State (6-11, 2-4) then went on a 12-4 run to regain its breathing room.
WOMEN
Midwestern State 70, UTPB 58
MIDWESTERN STATE
Shawnisay Millar 1-1 2-2 4 Hannah Reynolds 2-3 0-0 4, Frances King 3-10 5-5 55, Markayla Johnson 3-6 0-0 7, Morgan Lenahan 12-18 2-2 31, Yasmine Sifaoui 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Mathis 1-1 2-2 4, Sheridan Bostic 3-6 0-0 9, Mandy Withey 0-2 0-0 0, Eternity Jackson -3 0-0 0, Maiyah Watkins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-49 11-11 70.
UTPB
Morgan Helgesen 2-5 1-1 5, Kim Best 3-4 2-2 8, Kamari Portalis 3-7 1-1 7, Avalon Munoz 5-14 4-4 14, Holly Hemmeline 2-8 0-0 6, Alexus Quaadman 2-7 0-0 4, Diavian Spencer 0-1 0-0 0, Rory Carter 0-4 -0 0, Alexis Popham 0-2 0-0 0, Ally Hamann 2-3 0-0 5, Kine Diop 0-1 0-0 0, Lauren Stallworth 0-0 0-0 0, Ogechi Nwodo 3-5 3-5 9. Totals 22-62 11-13 58.
Midwestern State…. 16.. 20 16 18 — 70
UTPB………………….. 15.. 15 11 17 — 58
3-Point goals — Midwestern State 9-17 (King 0-2, Johnson 1-2, Lenahan 5-6, Bostic 3-5, Jackson 0-2), UTPB 3-17 (Helgesen 0-3, Portalis 0-1, Munoz 0-1, Hemmeline 2-7, Carter 0-2, Popham 0-1, Haman 1-2). Total fouls — Midwestern State 17, UTPB 18. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None. Rebounds — Midwestern State 28 (Johnson 6), UTPB 36 (Nwodo 10). Assists — Midwestern State 15 (King 8), UTPB 7 (Munoz 5).
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MEN
Midwestern State 68, UTPB 53
MIDWESTERN STATE
Jalin Brown 1-1 0-0 3, Jamey Sanders 0-3 0-0 0, Jermane Carter 3-6 3-4 9, Jordan Teal 2-6 0-0 5, Terrell Wilson 7-9 2-2 17, Amaechi Chukwu 5-7 1-2 12, Pierre Sanders 5-9 3-4 17, John Weger 2-4 1-1 5, Jace Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-45 10-13 68.
UTPB
Max Warren 1-4 0-0 2, Lemmie Howard 1-3 0-0 2, Miles Daniels 1-12 3-3 6, DaJaun Jones 2-12 1-1 6, Jordan Horn 6-13 0-0 16, Keyon Craddock 1-6 0-2 2, Kendal Frey 0-4 4-4 4, Quinntez Grimes 7-8 1-1 15, Alvarez Powell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-62 9-9 53.
Halftime — Midwestern State 32, UTPB 16. 3-Point goals — Midwestern State 8-15 (Brown 1-1, Sanders 0-2, Teal 1-3, Wilson 1-1, Chukwu 1-1, P. Sanders 4-5, Weger 0-2), UTPB 6-29 (Daniels 1-9, Jones 1-6, Horn 4-9, Craddock 0-2, Frey 0-3). Total fouls — Midwestern State 13, UTPB. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None. Rebounds — Midwestern State 32 (Chukwu 10), UTPB 30 (Grimes 6). Assists — Midwestern State 10 (Carter 2, Chukwu 2, P. Sanders 2, Weger 2), UTPB 8 (Jones 3).
