SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State women's basketball team, in front of a season-best crowd for the Rambelles inside Stephens Arena at the Junell Center, defeated the defending national champions, eighth-ranked Lubbock Christian, in a 67-63 thriller.

The Rambelles put together a complete performance, but a strong second half that saw them 56.5 percent from the field after the break proved to be the difference as they earn their first win over a ranked opponent since January 11^th, 2018, when they beat second-ranked West Texas A&M on that day.

This is also the first win for the Rambelles over the Lady Chaps since December 29^th, 2000, when they prevailed 62-56 on that day.

The Lady Chaps jumped out to an 18-8 lead in the first quarter before a fast break layup from Ashlynn Sharp, as well as a pair of layups from Blakely Gerber saw the Rambelles cut the lead to only three, 18-15, at the end of the first frame.

The nation's eighth-ranked team extended their lead to as big as eight in the second quarter; the Rambelles ended the half on a 9-2 run courtesy of three buckets from Samantha Rocha and one by Madeline Stephens, cutting the lead to only a single point entering the break.

A close second half followed with nine lead changes between the two teams, with the Rambelles' biggest lead being only four points, a mark they did not hit until there was only seven seconds left in the game.

The 67 points for the Rambelles is the most the Lady Chaps have allowed in conference play this season; it is also the fewest the Rambelles have scored in a win this season. The Rambelles' 47.3 field goal percentage is the second-best a team has notched against the Lady Chaps' third-ranked defense this season.

The Rambelles out-rebounded the Lady Chaps 38-34 and only committed seven turnovers, a season-best for the Rambelles.

The Rambelles' tough defense saw them only commit 14 personal fouls and hold the Lady Chaps to 7.1 percent shooting from three, with the visitors only converting once from beyond the arc in 14 attempts.

Gerber and Payton Brown led the offensive effort for the Rambelles in the upset, with neither player leaving the floor during the course of the game.

Gerber scored a team-high 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor, also converting five of six free-throw attempts.

Brown recorded her first double-double as a Rambelle with 13 points and 10 rebounds; she also assisted three times and grabbed a pair of steals.

Rocha reached double-digits in scoring for the second time this season, with 11 points in 15 minutes off the bench.

Sawyer Lloyd scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds and assisted a game-high seven times, while Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds; Madeline Stephens scored seven points and secured five rebounds in limited action, being the only Rambelle hampered by foul trouble.

The Rambelles improve to 6-10 overall on the season and 3-2 in conference play. They return to action on Saturday afternoon to face Eastern New Mexico, who are currently riding a three-game winning streak.