EDINBURG, Texas – Destini Texada and Tia Jackson combined for 43 points, but it wasn't enough as the HBU women's basketball team lost 80-67 to UT-Pan American Thursday evening at the UTPA Fieldhouse.

Texada led the Huskies (2-21, 0-8 GWC) with 22 points while Jackson scored 21. Jamie Spriggs came off the bench to score six and grab a team-high seven rebounds.

Donna Jackson scored a game-high 25 points for UTPA (10-16, 2-6 GWC) and also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Lady Broncs. Erin Lewis had a game-high 10 assists.

“We had a couple of really nice runs in the game,” said head coach Mary Gleason. “We evened the score late in the first half to tie it at halftime and we had a really nice run in the second half, but we just couldn't sustain the effort. UTPA had some nice looks to the basket. I'm proud of our team for playing 40 minutes. It shows we're working hard and it's just about getting the shots to fall. Our goal is to get better every day.”

UTPA scored the game's first basket, as D. Jackson hit a jumper 30 seconds into the contest. Tia Jackson hit one of two free throws to cut the Lady Bronc lead to one. The teams continued to exchange baskets, as D. Jackson had another basket, answered by Jackson for the Huskies.

Erin Lewis gave the Lady Broncs a 6-3 lead with 17:21 left in the opening half, but Destini Texada hit a jumper with 16:16 remaining. D. Jackson hit a jumper at the 15:55-minute mark, but Texada scored again for the Huskies 30 seconds later as the score was 8-7 in favor of UTPA.

Bianca Torre hit a three-pointer with 14:44 remaining in the half which was followed by one of two free throws by D. Jackson as UTPA led 12-7 with 14:13 left in the opening half.

HBU went on a 6-0 to lead, 13-12, as Jackson hit a jumper followed by consecutive baskets by Texada. Torre hit another three-pointer for UTPA at the 12:20-mark, followed by one free throw each for Adanna Opara and Jasmine Gordon, as UTPA led 17-13.

Texada scored with 10:44 remaining to cut the deficit to two at 17-15. Just a few seconds later, Gordon hit a jumper and the Lady Bronc lead was back up to two, at 19-15.

Jamie Spriggs hit a jumper, which was answered by a Ce'Monay Newell three-pointer with 8:44 remaining in the half, as UTPA led 21-16. Newell followed that with a basket, but Mele Leausau answered with a basket with 7:27 left in the half, as UTPA led 23-18.

Torre was fouled in the act of shooting and hit both free throws, followed by two free throws by D. Jackson. Brittany Barton hit a three-pointer at the 6:13-mark as UTPA led 26-21.

Newell hit a jumper which was answered by one free throw by Jamie Spriggs, as UTPA led 28-22 with 3:53 remaining in the opening half.

D. Jackson hit two free throws at the 4:16-minute mark as the Lady Bronc lead was 30-22, but the Huskies kept UTPA scoreless for nearly three minutes, as HBU went on a 10-0 run, highlighted by a pair of Green three-pointers, as HBU led 32-30 with 1:53 remaining in the half. UTPA hit a pair of jumpers in a span of 30 seconds, but Jackson hit a jumper with 10 seconds remaining as the two teams entered halftime tied, 32-32.

The Lady Broncs started the second half with a Newell long ball 12 seconds into the half as the Lady Broncs led, 35-32. Texada scored to cut the UTPA lead to one. UTPA then went on a 7-0 run, as D. Jackson hit a jumper and a three followed by a bucket by Newell, as the Lady Broncs led 44-36.

Texada's jumper stopped the bleeding, but only temporarily as Lewis scored for the Lady Broncs. Texada hit another jumper as the UTPA lead was 46-40 with 15:55 remaining in the second half.

The Huskies were held scoreless for four minutes, as UTPA scored seven unanswered. Lewis and Newell had a basket each while D. Jackson and Torre hit one of two free throws apiece. The Lady Bronc lead was 55-42 with 10:57 left in the second half.

Texada scored two straight baskets for the Huskies, as she scored the first 10 points for the Huskies in the second half. Lewis answered Texada's basket with one of her own at the 10:57-mark, as the Lady Broncs led by 11, 55-44.

Torre answered Texada's bucket with a jumper by Torre as the Lady Broncs were back up by 13, 57-44. The next Husky possession, Jackson made a layup and the ensuing free throw for the unconventional three-point play to cut the deficit to 10, at 57-47 with 10:10 left in the second half.

Torre was fouled in the act of shooting and made both free throws at the 9:52-mark of the second half. After a made free throw by Jackson, the Huskies stopped the Lady Broncs on the next possession and Jackson took it to the hole and made the layup and the free throw for another three-point play, as HBU was down by just eight, 59-51, with 8:21 remaining.

D. Jackson and HBU's Jackson swapped a free throw apiece as the Lady Broncs still led by eight, 50-52, with 7:52 remaining in the second half. Neither defense could stop the offense in the next four possessions, as the Lady Broncs would score to lead by 10 only to see HBU come right back and trail by eight. After a successful layup by Leasau made the UTPA lead 68-60 with 3:54 left in the second half, the Huskies took a timeout. Following the timeout, Torre hit a three-pointer for the Lady Broncs as they led by 11, 71-60, with 3:35 remaining.

After a Husky turnover, Lewis was fouled and made one of two free throws to give the Lady Broncs a 12-point advantage at 72-60 with 2:47 left. The next Husky possession, Texada stole the ball but could not convert and the Lady Broncs took it the other way and Lewis made a layup to give the hosts a 74-60 lead with 1:37 left in the second half.

After a successful layup by Jackson cut the deficit to 12, 74-62, with 1:22 remaining, the Huskies intentionally fouled the rest of the way, as the Lady Broncs made five of eight free throws.

HBU will host NJIT on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 5:15 pm in Sharp Gym.