It took three overtimes to get the job done, but the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets defeated the University of the Ozarks Thursday night, 118-115 in the Brownwood Coliseum, ending the HPU 12 game losing streak.

In a game that featured 11 ties and 13 lead changes, the Yellow Jackets (3-14, 1-9) trailed by as many as a dozen points in the first half but drew even at 44 at halftime. HPU then trailed by six points with 95 seconds left, but rallied to knot the score at 83 at the end of regulation. Through one overtime the score stood at 93-all, and both teams were tied at 104 after two extra sessions, thanks to a layup at the buzzer by Yellow Jacket Armonie Ramey.

Trailing 110-108 in the third overtime, the Yellow Jackets reeled off six straight points – a three-pointer by Myles Brown, another bucket from Brown, and a free throw by Ramey – to open a 114-110 edge with 1:29 to go. The lead peaked at 117-112 with 47 seconds left on a bucket by Jarod Johnson, and HPU held off Ozarks (7-10, 2-8) – which lost its ninth game in a row – down the stretch.

Next up – Head coach Nadir Dalleh’s Yellow Jackets host UT-Dallas at 3 p.m. Saturday in the historic Brownwood Coliseum.

WOMEN’S GAME

The Howard Payne Lady Jackets dropped to a season record of 2-15 (0-10 in conference)with a 60-44 loss Thursday night to the University of the Ozarks. The Lady Jackets will play next on Saturday at home versus the University of Texas at Dallas at 1:00 pm.