PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Christian University women's basketball team got a career performance out of senior guard/forward Miya McKinney as the Wildcats needed all of her career-high 22 points to hold off the Texas College Steers 65-62 Saturday afternoon at H.O. West Fieldhouse.
 
The Wildcats seemed like they were going to put things out of reach early. After the Steers scored on the game's opening possession, a Kieyoomia Benally three-pointer started a 14-0 LCU run, which ended as the Wildcats got out in transition and Paola Abad Prieto hit a three to make it 14-2 Wildcats with 5:30 remining in the opening period. But the Steers responded with a 12-3 run of their own to make it a one-possession score again at 17-14. But LCU opened the lead back up by scoring the period's final five points thanks to another three by Benally and a lay-up by McKinney as Claire Borot got her the ball as she cut through the lane to give LCU a 22-14 lead after one.
 
Another McKinney lay-up opened the second quarter, putting the Wildcats back up double-digits. But Texas College scored the next eight points to make it a two-point game again with 5:30 left before halftime. Leading 28-26 with just more than 2:30 left before the break, Claire Borot got to the bucket and scored, starting a six-point push by the Wildcats to end the half, capped by another Borot lay-up and LCU took a 34-26 lead to the locker room.
 
The run continued into the third quarter as once again, the Wildcats looked to put the game out of reach. A three-pointer by Abad Prieto opened the scoring, kicking off a 13-2 start to the half for the Wildcats, a 19-2 LCU overall run that was capped by another three-pointer by Kieyoomia Benally with just less than six minutes left in the period that made the score 47-28 LCU. However, the Steers answered with the next ten points, where the margin plateaued for the rest of the quarter. LCU took a 52-43 lead into the final period.
 
LCU opened the fourth quarter strong as McKinney blocked a Steer shot and got ahead of the pack for a lay-up on the other end to open the period's scoring and make the margin double-figures again. But the rest of the period was used trying to keep Texas College at arm's length as the Steers slowly rallied throughout the final ten minutes, closing the gap to just a single point in the closing seconds. A pair of free throws by McKinney made it a three-point game and a three at the buzzer by the Steers was off the mark as the Wildcats secured the win.
 
Miya McKinney had her best game as a Wildcat, scoring a career-high 22 points as she made nine of her 14 attempts. McKinney also grabbed 13 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season and third in the last four games. She was also credited with a season-high three blocked shots while also coming up with a pair of steals. Paola Abad Prieto also flirted with a double-double as she finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Abad Prieto went five of nine from the field, including three of six from above the arc, and was credited with five assists. Kieyoomia Benally was also five of nine from the field, three of seven from deep, and dished out six assists.
 
While the Wildcats shot at a much higher percentage than the Steers, 43.6% to 34.4%, what allowed the Steers back into the game was turnovers as LCU gave up the ball 27 times compared to just 14 turnovers by the Steers. That allowed Texas College to take nine more shots in the contest than LCU, though it only resulted in four more points off turnovers than what LCU produced off their 14 takeaways.
 
The Wildcats (10-7, 4-4 RRAC) look to equal its longest winning streak of the season on Thursday as the final week of home gams kicks off against LSU Shreveport. Tip-off of Thursday's game against the Pilots (11-9, 6-2 RRAC), looking to avenge an earlier 73-56 defeat at the hands of LSUS, is set for 5:30 P.M. at H.O. West Fieldhouse.