DENTON, Texas (Jan. 19, 2023) – In a wire-to-wire win tonight, the Texas Woman's basketball team defeated No. 17 West Texas A&M, 62-52.
 
TWU (16-1, 11-0) recorded their first Top 25 win this season at home in Kitty Magee Arena over WT (15-4, 8-3).
 
The Pioneers reclaimed their victory in decisive fashion, after losing to the Lady Buffs in the South Central Regional Tournament last season.
 
During this season, WT was ranked as high as No. 2 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. Nevertheless, the Pioneers held their ground as the top dog in the fight tonight, recording another dominating win on the season.
 
TWU ran out of the gate ready to play tonight. In the first quarter, the Pioneers scored 16 points and held the Lady Buffs to just six points, their lowest quarter of scoring this season. The defense in the quarter marks the ninth time this season the Pioneers have held their opponent to scoring less than 10 points in a quarter.
 
With posts Ashley Ingram and Ngozi Obineke owning the paint, the Pioneers showcased early on why they eventually won the paint battle, 28-20.
 
Ingram and Obineke scored the first two baskets of the night for the Pioneers, 20 seconds apart and just 40 seconds into the game.
 
Jordan Jackson gave the Pioneers their first double-digit lead of the game with a made jumper at 3:04 on the clock. WT cut the lead to eight with 50 seconds on the clock, but Brielle Woods quickly answered to draw the Pioneers back up by 10 with a smooth free-throw line jumper.
 
Defense resonated as the strength for the Pioneers in the first quarter. They held the Lady Buffs to 17.65% from the field and 0-8 from the three.
 
In the second quarter, WT worked to find a rhythm, but, even though they outscored the Pioneers 17-13 in the quarter, TWU never lost control of the game and remained in the driver's seat.
 
TWU survived a five-minute drought by forcing the Lady Buffs to turn over the ball and take difficult shots. Woods finally broke the dry spell, scoring her first triple of the night.
 
Although WT came within two points in the quarter, the Pioneers continued to push and fight, never getting frazzled. Sadie Moyer increased the lead with two made free throws, and Ariyanna Hines kept the trend going, sinking two more free throws to put TWU up by six points.
 
Moyer closed the half with a made jumper to send the Pioneers into the locker room with a six-point cushion.
Historically this season, the Pioneers have owned the third quarter, and they continued the trend tonight, scoring 19 points in the third.
 
At the 8:37 mark, Hines, who provided a spark all night for the Pioneers, drained a triple to increase the lead back to double-digits, 34-23.
 
The long-range connections continued for the Pioneers, as Moyer answered with another three to give TWU their largest lead of the night at 16, 39-23.
 
After some back-and-forth baskets, Ingram closed the quarter with a jumper and a free throw to send the Pioneers into the final quarter ahead by 12 points.
 
Although the lead was never in question for TWU, WT came with five points at with 3:46 on the clock. The Pioneers responded quickly, giving it to Ingram to work in the paint and draw a foul. She connected on one free throw. Then, Leila Patel, who shone in her first game back at KMA, made a timely bucket to increase the lead to eight, 57-49.
 
While the Lady Buffs tried to foul to extend the clock, Moyer made two free throws to further ice the game, 60-52 with 38 seconds left on the clock.
 
WT missed their final look on offense, and Hines pushed the ball up the court off the outlet pass to score the layup with a big smile on her face.
 
With the win, the Pioneers remain the only undefeated team in the Lone Star Conference and extended their winning streak to a program-high 14 consecutive wins.
 
Moyer led TWU with 15 points. She also grabbed a season-high eight rebounds and went 100% from the free-throw line for the eighth time this season in the win.
 
Ingram recorded her fourth double-double of the season against WT, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. On defense, she finished with a career-high three blocks.
 
Also recording a season-high, Hines scored nine points, while playing a career-high 31 minutes. In the win, Patel added a career-high seven points and four rebounds.
 
Woods also helped lead the Pioneers to their domination on the boards, 43-35, grabbing six rebounds in the win.
 
TWU held the Lady Buffs to their second lowest offensive scoring game of the season at 52 points.
 
"I credit our preparation tonight," TWU Head Coach Beth Jillson said. "All of our players are extremely focused on preparing for every opponent and working hard in practice to be ready for every game. We had multiple players step up tonight. Ariyanna provided a great spark for us in the starting lineup, and Leila's shot selection really helped us continue to attack on offense. Every night, we are thankful for the opportunity we have to play the game together and continue to improve."
 
The Pioneers will be back in KMA on Saturday, Jan. 21, as they take on Lubbock Christian at 2 p.m.