WICHITA FALLS, Texas (Nov. 10, 2016) – Texas Woman's University basketball opens the 2016-17 season against Texas A&M International Friday at 5 p.m. at the Ashbrook Classic hosted by Midwestern State.
 
TEXAS WOMAN'S (0-0) vs. TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL (0-0)
Friday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m.
Wichita Falls, Texas (D.L. Ligon Coliseum)
 
About the Pioneers
TWU made its 2016-17 debut at Division I University of North Texas Nov. 6 in a 59-47 exhibition loss to the Mean Green. The Pioneers are coming off of a 2015-16 season in which the squad went 21-10 overall and 10-6 in Lone Star Conference play to advance to the South Central Regional. TWU returns First Team All-LSC senior guard Kenesha Saygo and LSC Freshman of the Year Kara Mitchell along with over 81-percent of their scoring and 67-percent of their rebounding a year ago. In the LSC preseason poll, the Pioneers are tabbed to finish in third place amongst the 11 teams.
 
About the Dustdevils
TAMIU has played in three exhibition contests this year, losing to Division I teams UT-San Antonio and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the NAIA's Our Lady of the Lake. The Dustdevils were chosen to finish eighth within the nine-team Heartland Conference.
 
History between Texas Woman's and Texas A&M International
The Pioneers have won each of the three meetings over the Dustdevils, with the most recent matchup occurring during the 2012-13 season where TWU took the victory, 73-56. The first meeting occurred during the 2008-09 season and was an 80-68 win for the Pioneers, while the other contest was a 123-84 drubbing of TAMIU in the 2009-10 season.
 
Last meeting of TWU and TAMIU
DENTON, Texas (Nov. 17, 2012) – The TWU Pioneers had three players score in double digits as they opened the 2012 Marriott Champions Circle Pioneer Premiere with a 73-56 victory over Texas A&M-International Saturday at Kitty Magee Arena.
 
Junior guard Tabbatha Thurmond, who averaged 7.9 points per game as one of three returning players from last season's 2011-12 squad, led the Pioneers with 14 points and eight rebounds to go along with two steals.
 
Pioneers stick with UNT in exhibition contest
DENTON, Texas (Nov. 6, 2016) – Kenesha Saygo scored a game-high 15 points for Texas Woman's University in a 59-47 loss to Division I University of North Texas, bouncing back from a 22-6 first quarter deficit and outscoring UNT 18-8 in the second.
 
The Pioneers struggled from the field on 23-percent shooting but held the Mean Green to a 30-percent showing from the floor, including 0-for-9 from beyond the arc. TWU was outrebounded 56-to-41 but secured 11 steals off of 17 UNT turnovers.
 
TWU acquired all if its six points in the first quarter from the free throw line before recording the first field goal a minute-and-a-half into the second quarter on a Saygo jumper from the left side. A three from the top of the key by Saygo cut UNT's lead to 24-12, but the Mean Green scored twice in the paint to stretch the margin to 28-12. Emily Spector and Deja Pointer combined for 10 straight points, and a free throw by Andrea Mapua pulled the Pioneers to within 28-22 with less than two minutes to go before the half. UNT connected for two at the line, and KJ Stastny went coast-to-coast for the final score of the first half to send the Pioneers into the locker room trailing 30-24.
 
Two free throws by Kara Mitchell and a baby hook by Alexis Nezianya cut the lead of the Mean Green to two halfway through the third quarter. UNT connected on a layup two minutes later before Stastny dropped in a three from the left wing to cut the lead to 38-37. A free throw by Bri'anna Gray proved to be the final point over the next nine minutes of the contest for the Pioneers as the Mean Green went on a 13-0 run to jump ahead 55-39 with 2:43 to play. Saygo finished the final two minutes by hitting four from the line and scoring on two drives to the rim.
 
TWU picked to finish third in LSC
RICHARDSON, Texas (Oct. 26, 2016) – The Lone Star Conference released the 2016-17 preseason women's basketball poll Wednesday with Texas Woman's University being ranked third with 257 points.
 
The league's preseason poll reflects the opinions of LSC head coaches and sports information directors, plus various media representatives from throughout the region.
 
West Texas A&M is narrowly favored to defend its Lone Star Conference title by edging out Angelo State by one point for the top spot.  The Lady Buffs, who claimed their third consecutive LSC Championship last season, received 16 first-place votes for 312 points. ASU was a close second as the defending tournament champions received 13 top votes and 311 points.
 
A spot below TWU was Tarleton State with 238 points, then Texas A&M-Commerce in fifth (207) and Cameron in sixth (156 and remaining top vote). Eastern New Mexico and Midwestern State tied for seventh place with 145 points apiece, while UT Permian Basin (77), Western New Mexico (71) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (61) completed the poll.
 
ASU's Jasmine Prophet earned Preseason Player of the Year acclaim.  Prophet was the favorite on 16 of the 30 ballots cast.
 
The regular season begins in early November with LSC teams playing a double round robin league schedule, in which each team plays a home and away contest against each of the other teams to determine the LSC champion.
 
The LSC champion will be the regular season winner determined by league games, while the postseason tournament winner is designated as LSC Tournament Champion and earns the conference's automatic qualification.  The top eight teams in the final conference standings qualify for the postseason tournament set for March 2-5 in Allen, Texas.
 
TWU basketball ranked nationally again in academics
Texas Woman's Basketball has been recognized nationally for its academic accomplishments by being named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for the second straight year.  With a team grade point average of 3.589, the Pioneers came in 18th among all NCAA Division II schools.
 
"I am very proud of our team for being named to the WBCA Top 25 Honor Roll for the second consecutive year," Head Coach Beth Jillson said. "Our young ladies work extremely hard all year and take pride in doing their very best in the classroom and on the court."
 
The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes NCAA Division I, II and III; NAIA and junior/community college women's basketball teams across the nation that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. Division II is comprised of 307 institutions across the nation including Puerto Rico and Canada. The 2015-16 season is the 21st in which the WBCA as compiled the honor rolls.
 
TWU's team GPA was the best in Women's Basketball in the Lone Star Conference, highlighted by six players (Erin Maxwell, Kenesha Saygo, Morgan Easley, Deja Pointer, Desiree Phipps, and Kayla Beattie) earning a perfect 4.0 GPA, which contributed to the Pioneers earning the LSC Women's Academic Excellence Award for the third year in a row.  The league honor is awarded to the athletics department with the highest collective team grade point average.
 
Looking beyond the LSC, the Pioneers are one of only two teams in the 35-team South Central Region to make the WBCA list, coming in just behind Lubbock Christian University (17th, 3.591).
 
Trip to Daytona Beach, 13 home dates highlight 2016-17 basketball schedule
DENTON, Texas (June 29) – A trip to Daytona Beach, Fla., three regular season tournaments and 13 home games highlight the 2016-17 TWU basketball schedule.  The Pioneers will play a total of 28 regular season games including 13 at Kitty Magee Arena, 12 on the road and three on a neutral site.
 
For the third straight season TWU opens the season in Wichita Falls, Texas, at the Ashbrook Classic hosted by Midwestern State on Nov. 11-12.  The Pioneers will face Texas A&M International in the season opener on Nov. 11 and then take on Adams State on Nov. 12.
 
TWU will make its home debut on Nov. 15 against Arkansas-Fort Smith before hosting their annual Best Western Premier Pioneer Classic on Nov. 19-20.  The Pioneers will face Newman on Nov. 19 and UC-Colorado Springs on Nov. 20.
 
TWU will play 20 of the remaining 23 regular season games against Lone Star Conference opponents.  The three non-conference games include Oklahoma Christian on the road on Nov. 26 and Barry and Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at Bahama House Classic on Dec. 16-17 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
 
The home-and-home LSC schedule against the 10 conference teams will be played between Dec. 1-Feb. 25.  This year's LSC schedule will also include two newcomers to the league, UT Permian Basin and Western New Mexico.
 
The top eight teams in the final conference standings will earn a berth in the 2016-17 LSC Women's Basketball Championship.  The tournament will be played at the Allen Events Center in Allen, Texas, on March 2-5.