DENTON, Texas (Dec. 6) – TWU sophomore Emily Spector recorded her second double-double of the season but it wasn't enough as the Pioneers dropped a 58-54 decision to visiting UT-Permian Basin on Saturday afternoon at Kitty Magee Arena. 
 
Spector led all players with a game and career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds while senior Ashley Salazar added nine points and senior Ria Pateraki chipped in eight for TWU.  Junior Danielle Westerfield came off the Pioneers' bench and cleared seven rebounds.
 
The Pioneers' season-long trend of stellar first half defense continued as they held UTPB to six field goals and 24.0 percent shooting in the opening twenty minutes of play.  TWU has held six of its last seven opponents to under 30 percent shooting and single-digit field goals in the first 20 minutes.  The Pioneers meanwhile shot 43.3 percent in the first half and built a 14-point lead at the break, 35-21. 
 
The roles reversed in the second half as the Falcons made 13-of-21 field goals for a 61.9 percent shooting while TWU made just five field goals and shot 22.7 percent from the floor.  The Pioneers opened the second half on a 6-2 run to take the game's biggest lead, 41-23.  UTPB used a 15-3 run to cut their deficit to six points before taking a 51-50 lead at 4:53 mark.  After two ties and three lead changes in the final four minutes, the Falcons made three of four free throws to capture the win.
 
"We missed lot of easy baskets in the second half," said TWU head coach Beth Jillson.  "We played little bit on our heels and did not attack as much in the second half.  Our defense was really good in the first half but I was disappointed with our defensive intensity in the second half."
 
The Pioneers will return to action when they travel to Puerto Rico on Saturday, Dec. 13.  TWU will face the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón at 12:00 p.m. central time (2:00 p.m. AST).  The Pioneers will also play the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras on Sunday, Dec. 14.