Pflugerville led by 10 entering the final period (42-32), but five Panther turnovers in the final six minutes of play, coupled with three 3-pointers by Midland in the last five minutes, saw the lead erased down the stretch.
Merchant's layup marked the first lead for Midland in the second half. After the layup, Pflugerville got the ball back but turned it over after crossing midcourt. Pflugerville had to foul three times before sending the Bulldogs to the line, where they missed a one-and-one with two seconds left. P'ville rebounded the ball but could not get off a desperation 3-point shot before the clock expired.
Pflugerville is now 5-2 on the year. The Panthers went 3-1 in the Greater Austin tourney.
Midland, which connected on eight 3-pointers, improves to 7-1. The Bulldogs went eight-for-18 from 3-point range, including hitting five of nine treys taken in the second half.
Pflugerville shot just 36 percent from the field, making 18 of 50 shots, while the Bulldogs made 20 of 60 shots (33 percent). Nearly half of their field goals (eight of 20) were from 3-point range. The Panthers held a 36-28 edge in rebounding.
Scoring 11 points apiece for the Panthers were senior post Nneka Enemkpali and junior forward Itiana Taylor while sophomore guard Taliyah Brooks added 10 points and finished with a game-best five steals. Senior forward Adesuwa Ebomwonyi (six points) pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds while Enemkpali had seven rebounds and Taylor six.
Pflugerville will next face state-ranked Waco Midway on Tuesday, Nov. 23 in a 7 p.m. contest in Waco.