DENTON, Texas (Feb. 18, 2017) - Emily Spector made the most of her final game inside Kitty Magee Arena with an all-around performance that included a game-high 16 points, team-high six rebounds, career-high four steals and two blocks in Texas Woman's University's 53-48 win over Tarleton State Saturday afternoon.
 
Fellow senior Kenesha Saygo scored 13 points alongside fellow seniors Andrea Mapua, Deja Pointer and Ashley Bonugli. The stats for the Pioneers (16-10, 9-9 LSC) and TexAnns (12-12, 11-7 LSC) were quite similar as each squad shot 36-percent from the field and pulled down 33 rebounds. TWU forced TSU into 24 turnovers while the Pioneers committed 19.
 
The game did not start out in favor of the Pioneers as the TexAnns built an 8-0 lead two minutes into the contest. Saygo found Spector in a crowded lane for two, and Saygo scored twice in the paint to pull TWU to within 11-9. Back-to-back steals and layups by Saygo and Bri'anna Gray opened the second quarter to give the Pioneers a 15-13 lead, but the TexAnns scored nine answered points.
 
Spector nailed a three from the right wing to cut the deficit to 22-16 midway through the period. Mapua spotted up from beyond the arc to add three more, and Spector spun around a defender in the lane to tie the game at 24-24 heading into the break.
 
Kara Mitchell handed the Pioneers a 26-24 lead on TWU's first possession of the second half. The third quarter contained five ties and five lead changes with the Pioneers claiming a lead of five following a score by Grace Mitchell with three minutes remaining in the quarter, but the TexAnns pieced together a 7-0 run to close the period and grab a 40-38 advantage.
 
Saygo made a jumper and Alexis Nezianya scored in the paint to return the lead back to TWU at 42-41 in the fourth quarter. Saygo found success on a left side drive and drilled a deep three with a defender in her face to extend the lead to 47-41 with 5:44 to play.
 
A pair of layups by TSU cut the margin to 49-47 with just over three minutes to go. Morgan Easley calmly sank two free throws to make it 51-47. The TexAnns went one-of-two from the line with two-and-a-half minutes on the clock to cut the lead to 51-48. Nezianya perfectly defended a potential game-tying three from TSU with a block, forcing TSU to foul Easley who again made both from the line for a four-point lead, and the final shot attempt by TexAnns was off the mark.
 
The Pioneers hit the road for their two final regular season contests by heading to Cameron Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Midwestern Saturday at 4 p.m.