DALLAS, Texas – The Dallas Christian College women's basketball team dropped a tough one-point decision, 76-75, on Tuesday night over regional divisional crosstown rival Arlington Baptist University. The Crusaders erased a double-digit halftime deficit with a 27-17 third quarter to get the game close.
Naiya Brown had a steal and made a jumper just inside the three-point arc to cut the deficit to one. ABU would miss both free throw attempts with three seconds left, but
Keiarra Rivers got the rebound on the inside block but was unable to escape the ABU defense and have a final heave.
Amber Covington did most of the heavy lifting for the Crusaders in the first half, netting 17 points and six rebounds before the break.
Faith Salinas was the next highest scoring with six points, but she did grab the team's most rebounds with eight at that juncture. The rest of the team had six of DCC's 29 points, which was among six individuals. Covington finished the contest with a career-high and game-high 25 points. She just reached recording her second straight double-double and the 5-5 forward would go on to make nine field goals and go 7-for-9 at the free throw line. The Rogers, Arkansas, native picked up three steals and assists, which the latter matched a team-most.
Covington was limited to 32 minutes due to foul trouble and did exit early in the fourth quarter due to reaching five personal. Salinas did end up with 15 points and a team-high 16 boards for the team's second double-double of the game. Rivers rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers with 10 points. Brown added eight points and matched Salinas with a game-high five steals. DCC outdid the Patriots on steals, 16-9. From the bench,
Taylor Brokenberry garnered nine rebounds.
Foul trouble was an issue for the Crusaders in this game with 29 total and three players got disqualified by the end of it. Although, ABU struggled to find its stride with a 15-for-40 result at the charity stripe. DCC hit 16-of-23 free throw attempts.
This was an evenly matched game statistically, as the Patriots made one more field goal to DCC with the same 75 attempts. Both teams made three trifectas, and DCC had one more free throw. It was an oddity in this matchup, with DCC only committing two more turnovers than the Patriots, 25-23. The Crusaders were outdone 22-14 on second chance points, but DCC's big push in the third was in large part to a 10-3 advantage in that category. The visitors were able to speed out to an 18-4 edge on fast break points. Both teams did well getting inside, with a slight 44-40 edge to ABU on points in the paint.
Historically, the Patriots have always been an aggressive defensive team that forces mistakes for turnovers. Record wise, DCC has lost eight straight now, but this was the first game that the margin was less than 20 points in that span. It was also a good idea for how these teams could be ranked in the future, as DCC entered at No. 9 and Arlington Baptist was No. 10. These teams met in the 2020-21 NCCAA Southwest Regional at Dallas Christian on February 27.
The win improved ABU to 7-6 and 3-0 in the league. DCC fell to 14-5 and 1-3 in regional scheduled contests.
Things started out wonderful for Dallas Christian, with its only time to lead all game in the first 6:41 minutes of the game. This was highlighted by scoring 10-of-12 points to start, but the Patriots knotted things at 10 and would never fall behind after a pair of made free throws by Brynee Scott with about three and a half minutes. Salinas leveled the score again on the next play, but ABU would close out the first quarter with a 9-2 run that included eight straight points.
In the second quarter, DCC trailed around five to seven points throughout most of the duration of the frame. The largest lead would reach 11 with 37 seconds left and the 40-29 scoreboard mark would be what it was at intermission.
The third quarter saw an early deficit grow to 13, which was the largest of the game, but Covington an 11-1 scoring swing allowed DCC to tie it at 51 with 1:28 left. Salinas had the offensive rebound and put-back on the tying play. After six straight ABU points, Leia Twin drilled a trey and a layup by
Mckayla Washington sliced the gap to one and would be that margin in the last frame.
ABU appeared to control the outcome once Covington was disqualified and a 10-point gap, 75-65, would be the spread with 1:10 remaining. Rivers had a layup just three seconds under the minute-mark to stop the clock. DCC picked up a steal and was fouled. After two misses, Brown got the offensive rebound and called a timeout. Down 75-71 after that play and a timeout, DCC forced another turnover and DCC missed the jumper on the counter play. A foul put the Patriots on the lien and a split would stretch the lead to five. Rivers had the layup to make it a one possession game at 76-73 with 14 ticks left on the clock. That's when the turnover forced by Brown would make things interesting, but her shot was a two and four seconds left. The first of two free throws went in for ABU, and there was no last shot attempt for trying to gain a win.
Dallas Christian plays its third straight game on Wednesday at 5 p.m. versus University of Arkansas Cossatot.
"Dallas Christian educates and mentors students to be people of influence engaging in their calling to the work of Christ in the church and in the world."
