DENTON, Texas (Feb. 22, 2018) - Bri'anna Gray tied a career-high with 21 points, and Alexis Nezianya notched her ninth double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, but an eight-point Pioneer advantage slipped away within the final five minutes of the fourth period to force overtime in a 71-64 loss to Cameron Thursday night inside Kitty Magee Arena.
 
TWU opened the extra period with a layup by Gray before Cameron sank two three-pointers to take a 64-60 lead with two minutes remaining. Gray then hit a three from the left wing to cut it to one before the Aggies hit five from the free throw line to jump ahead 69-64. Whitney Apari made two freebies to make it a four-point game with 24 seconds on the clock, but the Aggies made another pair of free throws to close out with a six-point victory.
 
It took over three minutes for TWU to score in the contest until a pair of free throws by Stastny. Meanwhile, the Lone Star Conference's leading scorer, CU's Jamie Bonnarens, put up the first seven points for the Aggies. Nezianya and Gray recorded layups, and Nezianya made another inside to give the Pioneers a 10-9 lead.
 
Nezianya hit the first bucket of the second quarter and Gray produced back-to-back drives for a 16-10 Pioneer advantage. Cienna Rodriguez drilled a three-pointer from the right baseline for a seven-point lead with 6:16 on the clock. The Aggies pulled within 23-20 and sank two free throws at the halftime buzzer to cut the lead to 30-27.
 
Bonnarens opened the second half with a pair of threes for a 35-30 CU lead. Trailing 38-32, Nezianya scored twice underneath to slice the margin to two. Gray then grabbed an offensive board on a missed free throw and converted the putback for a 38-38 tie, and Neziayna performed the same feat to put the Pioneers in front, 41-40, with 2:27 remaining in the quarter. Apari found Nezianya underneath with under a minute to go in the quarter, and Morgan Easley put in a layup seconds before the buzzer for a 45-40 TWU lead.
 
A jumper by Apari midway through the fourth quarter increased the Pioneer lead 55-47, but the Aggies mounted a 9-1 run for a 56-56 tie. Nezianya banked in a shot from the left block for a two-point edge with 54 seconds to go. TWU made a defensive stop, and Head Coach Beth Jillson called a timeout to advance the ball to half court. The Pioneers could not convert offensively, and CU made a layup on an out-of-bounds play as time expired to force overtime.
 
Jillson said, "We beat ourselves tonight by missing free throws and not finishing. We have a quick turnaround to get ready for Midwestern Saturday."
 
The Pioneers host Midwestern State in their season home finale Saturday at 2 p.m. and will honor the five TWU seniors: Whitney Apari, Morgan Easley, Grace Mitchell, Alexis Nezianya and Cienna Rodriguez.