HUNTSVILLE — The Sam Houston women's basketball team's rally fell short in a 62-61 loss to Tarleton 62-61 in a thriller at Johnson Coliseum on Monday.
 
The Bearkats (5-10 overall, 0-4 in WAC) trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter but cut the lead to 46-41 on a basket by Madelyn Batista heading into the final period. The Texans (11-6, 3-3) pushed the lead back to nine and that's when Sam Houston started to put on the pressure.
 
Courtney Cleveland and Kaylee Jefferson made back-to-back baskets to get the Bearkats within 55-51 with five and half minutes to go in the game. Faith Cook connected on a 3-points and Cleveland made a free throw to make it a two-point game two minutes later.
 
Sam Houston eventually took the lead 61-60 on consecutive layups by Cook with 45 seconds on the clock. Tarleton went up for good on a pair of free throws and was able to run out the clock on an offensive rebound off a missed free throw to seal the victory.
 
Cook led the Bearkats with a game-high 19 points. Batista chipped in 17 points and  Jefferson finished with 15.