Cowgirls Knock Off Howard Payne
By: Eric Boynton
Updated: January 19, 2013
ABILENE, Texas -- Hardin-Simmons knocked off the No. 1 American Southwest Conference West Division
team Saturday at the Mabee Complex beating Howard Payne
69-92.
Joanna Daniel, in just her third start of the season,
scored 17 points, dished out six assists and hit three timely 3-point field
goals to help in the victory.
The Cowgirls (9-8, 7-4) held the Yellow Jackets (14-3,
9-2) to just a 35-percent shooting effort and snapped HPU's eight-game win
streak. HSU's Alexis Popelar led the team with 18 points,
however, Daniel's long-range shots came at all the right times for the
Cowgirls.
With 6:44 remaining Danyel Bradley hit a trey for HPU to
cut the Cowgirl lead to 51-47. But Daniel countered with 5:55 to play to extend
the lead back to seven.
Then, the Yellow Jackets clawed back to within five points with 2:09 to play, but Daniel drained the dagger from beyond the arc with 1:48 to play to build an insurmountable eight-point lead. For the rest of the way, HPU didn't get closer than five points of the Cowgirl lead.
The Cowgirls led by six at halftime and held off HPU in
the second half thanks to a 14 of 15 effort from the free-throw line. Overall,
the Cowgirls hit 17-of-21 from the line and shot 40 percent from the
field.
Jaclyn von der Heide added a double-double with 11 points
and 12 boards. The Yellow Jackets' Bradley had 13 points in the losing effort
while Breanna Conway had 11 points and six
blocks.
HPU's only other loss this season in ASC competition came
to Louisiana College Dec. 1. The Cowgirls remain in third place in the ASC West
Division and will play host to Schreiner Thursday at 5:30
p.m.
