SAN ANGELO, Texas (Feb. 14) – The TWU basketball team suffered a 64-58 loss to the host Angelo State 'Belles on Saturday afternoon in the Junell Center.  The Pioneers are now 13-11 on the season and 6-7 in the Lone Star Conference.
 
Sophomore guard Kenesha Saygo led the Pioneers in scoring with 17 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor and 9-for-11 from the free-throw line.  Junior Danielle Westerfield added 13 points and five rebounds to the TWU cause while sophomore Emily Spector led the Pioneers with seven rebounds.
 
The Pioneers outscored Angelo State, 11-4, in the first five minutes of the first half before the Rambelles scored eight of the next nine points to tie the score.  Both teams traded baskets before TWU went on a 7-0 run to take a 23-16 lead with 4:26 left in the half.  ASU again rallied to cut the deficit to one but the Pioneers took a 29-25 lead at the break on a jumper and free-throw in the final seconds by sophomore Andrea Mapua.
 
Angelo State started the second half on 14-4 run to take a 39-36 lead.  The Pioneers regrouped and rallied to regain the lead, 47-45, on senior Ashley Salazar's three-pointer at 8:16 mark.  The Rambelles again used a 10-2 run to go back on top 55-49.  TWU chipped away and tied the game at 58-58 on two free-throws by Saygo with 1:57 left in the game.  ASU's Keanna Kelly made four straight free throws in the final 45 seconds to give the Rambelles the lead and seal the win for the home team.
 
The Pioneers held Angelo State to just 27.6 percent shooting in the first half but allowed them to hit 48.1 percent of their shots in the second half.  TWU finished the game with 33.9 percent shooting, including 37.0 percent in the second half.  The Pioneers had the edge in rebounding, 41-40.
 
"Our defense played well in the first half but struggled in the second," said TWU head coach Beth Jillson.  "We let them shoot close to 50 percent in the second half and they made 5 of 9 three pointers.  We need to play defense for the entire game to win games on the road in this conference.  Dani started today and played well for the second straight game.  Saygo did a good job of being aggressive on offense and got to the free throw line 11 times."
 
The Pioneers will return to action when they travel to Portales, NM, to face Eastern New Mexico on Thursday, Feb. 19.  The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (CST) in Greyhound Arena.