The Texas Woman’s basketball team, which scored five games in double figures, defeated Christian of Oklahoma 73-56 at Kitty Magee Arena on Thursday night.
TWU (18-1, 13-0 in the Lone Star Conference) extended their winning streak to 16 games and eight wins in the KMA with a win over OC (3-15, 3-11).
Today, the pioneers wore pink in honor of coach Kay Yew and the Kay Yew Cancer Foundation. In partnership with the Play4Kay movement, the pioneers recognized people who were battling cancer. Players, coaches and fans wore pink to honor friends, family and loved ones.
Before the game, the pioneers recognized the people they honored by wearing pink, and at halftime, survivors in the crowd stood up and celebrated.
“Tonight was not only about basketball, but also about the result,” said TWU coach Beth Gillson. “Wearing pink to honor the brave men and women who have fought cancer inspires us to strength and courage. Also, it brings us together as we strive to uplift others and raise awareness through the Play4Kay initiative.”
In the game, five pioneers scored 10 or more points on an effective offensive night for TWU. As a team, the Pioneers shot 50% from the field and a season-high 50% from the three-point line.
Sadie Moyer spearheaded TWU’s offensive drive, igniting the crowd with four scoring triples in just five tries and 6 of 11 shots from the field for 16 points. Ashley Ingram dominated the post-game with 12 points. Ingram also distributed the ball well among the dual teams, finishing the night with six assists.
Scout Huffman remained a consistent force for the Pioneers on offense and at the boards, finishing the night with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Leila Patel came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points. Arianna Hines scored a record 10 points.
While the Pioneers eventually buckled and pulled away to win by 17 points, the first quarter was a high-scoring one for both TWU and OC.
Despite starting the game downtown with two consecutive 3-pointers from Moyer, back-to-back quarters gave the Pioneers only a three-point lead going into the second quarter.
The second quarter was decisive. The Pioneers held off the Eagles by just eight points, marking the ninth time this season they held an opponent by less than 10 points in a quarter. The Eagles only shot 20% from the field and 0% from three.
While they held the Eagles pointless, the Pioneers led 14–2 in the first seven minutes of the quarter. The run was largely ignited by Patel, who made three 3-pointers in three minutes of play.
At 1:37 in the second quarter, Hines used her first long shot to give the Pioneers a 16-point lead. Huffman and Ingram both responded with jumpers 16 seconds apart, extending TWU’s lead to 18.
After two OC free throws, the Pioneers headed to the locker room, 16 points ahead of the Eagles after beating them 21–8 in the quarter.
The third quarter was a mirror image of the first, with the Eagles scoring 15 points and the Pioneers 18.
Ingram gave TWU their biggest lead of the night, 23, with one free throw at 4:42 of the third.
Despite the Eagles finishing the quarter 5-2, Ingram owned the paint and hit a jumper with 19 seconds on the clock, sending the Pioneers into the final 10 minutes of the game with a 19-point lead.
Huffman quickly opened the last quarter for the Pioneers with a jump shot in the first 30 seconds of Brielle Woods’ pass. Woods followed her own bobber in the paint after breaking her defender with a dribble.
The Eagles tried to bounce back in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 points against 15 Pioneers.
TWU remains the only undefeated team in the Lone Star Conference.
The Pioneers had the Eagles make 20 passes and scored 27 points from those passes. Also in the defensive category, the Pioneers made a season record – 13 interceptions. Woods and Jada Celsour led the Pioneer leaderboard with three interceptions each, a record for Celsour. TWU held off the Eagles with 33.3% from the field and 18.2% from the three-point line.
TWU also amassed 34 board rebounds, led by Woods with eight. The Pioneers dominated the transition game, scoring 17 points in a fast break against two Eagles.
“We were very diversified offensively today,” Gillson said. “The fact that five players hit double figures today shows the strength of our squad. We also recorded 16 assists today, just one less than our season. in front of our own crowd.”
The Pioneers returned to the KMA at 2:00 pm on Saturday against Arkansas-Fort Smith.
