DENTON, Texas (Jan. 22) – Trailing by as many as 21 points did not stop the TWU basketball team from mounting a comeback, eventually tying the score at 50 in the fourth quarter.  But Colorado Christian scored the final seven points of the game to capture a 57-50 at the 2015 Marriott Champions Circle Pioneer Premiere.
 
Sophomore guard Morgan Easley led the Pioneers with 13 points while junior Erin Maxwell added 10 points, a team-best six rebounds and a game-high four blocks.  Freshman Bri'anna Gray came off the bench and added six points while sophomore Cienna Rodriguez led the game with five assists.
 
TWU struggled on offense in the first quarter as Colorado Christian outscored the Pioneers 25-8.  The Cougars built the game's biggest lead, 31-10, with 3:10 left in the second quarter before TWU went on a run.  The Pioneers closed out the quarter on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to 13 at the break.
 
In the third quarter TWU cut the deficit to six with 3:26 left but a 7-2 run by the Cougars pushed their lead back to 11 points after three.  In the final quarter the Pioneers chipped away to even the score at 50 on Maxwell's offensive rebound and a layup with 3:26 left on the clock.
 
After a CCU free-throw, TWU had four opportunities to take the lead but the Pioneers missed two three-point shots, a layup and a jumper.  The Cougars sealed the win on the other end with a layup, a three-pointer and a free-throw in the final two minutes.
 
"We dug ourselves a big hole in the first quarter and that was the difference," said TWU head coach Beth Jillson.  "I am proud of the way we rallied back and gave ourselves a chance to win.  We missed some layups in the fourth quarter that could have put us on top and it could have been a different outcome.  It's hard to win games when you only shoot 28 percent."
 
After shooting just 17.2 percent in the first half, TWU hit 38.7 percent of its shots in the second half.  The Pioneers also stepped up on defense in the second half, holding CCU to 23.3 percent after allowing them to hit 46.4 percent of their shots in the first two quarters.
 
The Pioneers will return to action on the second day of the Pioneer Premiere when they take on Colorado State-Pueblo on Sunday, Nov. 22.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.