DENTON, Texas (Jan. 21, 2023) – For the fifth time in program history, the Texas Woman's basketball team shot 100% from the free throw line, on their way to a 79-65 victory over Lubbock Christian.
 
No. 7/9 TWU (17-1, 12-0) won their 15th straight game this season, defeating LCU (13-7, 8-4) 75-69.
 
This afternoon exemplified a total team win for the Pioneers. Four TWU players scored in double digits, and every Pioneer who touched the court contributed on offense.
 
On their way to 19 perfect free throws, Ngozi Obineke set the tone early for the Pioneers from the charity stripe. She scored the first points of the game off two made free throws two minutes into the first quarter.
 
Then, the perfect shooting continued for TWU. Fifteen seconds after Obineke scored her first free throws of the game, Ariyanna Hines blocked an LCU shot and then got fouled on the other end, sinking both of her free throws.
 
The Pioneers also started off on a strong foot on defense, which has been a staple of TWU basketball all season. They held the Lady Chaparrals scoreless for the first four minutes of action and held them to shooting just 18.75% in the first quarter.
 
After a short scoring drought for TWU, Leila Patel came off the bench and connected on a three pointer to give the Pioneers a five-point lead, but LCU responded quickly to cut the Pioneers' lead to just one point.
 
Nevertheless, TWU answered as they continue to do throughout the stretch of games, never getting too high or too low when games get tight.
 
Ashley Ingram, who seemed to be the phone call for the Pioneers when they needed a bucket, got to the free throw to push the TWU lead back up to three. Then, Jordan Jackson closed the first quarter with two made free throws and the Pioneers entered the second quarter ahead by three, 13-10.
 
Just as she ended the first half, Jackson also kicked off the second quarter with a jumper off an assist from Jada Celsur.
 
Celsur, who got the start today against Lubbock Christian, distributed the ball well. She recorded back-to-back assists in the second quarter, connecting on an assist with an Ingram made layup after the assist to Jackson.  
 
The Pioneers continued to have a strong second quarter, shooting 55.56% from the field and outscoring the Lady Chaparrals 21-14.
 
TWU found their largest lead of the game at the end of the second half on back-to-back baskets from Sadie Moyer, who remains a consistent threat on the offensive end for the Pioneers. Moyer's second jump shot gave the Pioneers a 10-point lead heading into the locker room, 34-24.
 
Unlike the past several games for the Pioneers, where they have dominated the third quarter, the tides turned this afternoon, and TWU withstood a 26-point quarter from LCU.
 
Out of halftime, it appeared the Lady Chaparrals could not miss, shooting 71.43% from beyond the arc.
 
Although today's third quarter overall was an outlier from the Pioneers last games, one thing remained the same – they found a way to stay connected at all times in the game.
 
Despite being outscored in the quarter overall, they came out of halftime strong. Huffman, who recorded her eighth double-digit scoring performance of the season, came out of halftime on fire. She hit three jumpers in a row to give the Pioneers their largest lead of the game at 16 two minutes into the third quarter.
 
Huffman then passed on the flames and assisted on a layup by Patel. After Patel's layup at the 4:43 mark, LCU mounted a 9-0 run to take a one-point lead, 47-46. Then, they connected on their fifth three of the quarter to find their largest lead of the night, 50-46.
 
Down by four points, the Pioneers went to Ingram, who owned the paint battle this afternoon. Ingram utilized her positioning and strength to endure a foul and get an and-one opportunity, which she completed, cutting the LCU lead to just one point.
 
In the midst of "Let's go T-Dub" chants, Moyer proved she is built for the moment and made a jumper with 14 seconds left on the clock to send the Pioneers into the fourth and final quarter with the lead reclaimed by one point.
 
The start of the quarters remained strong all afternoon for TWU, as they scored the opening baskets of three of the four quarters. In the fourth, Obineke hit two free throws to open the quarter, before connecting on two more back-to-back baskets to help the Pioneers respond to LCU's offense.
 
With a three-point lead and looking to put some more space between them, TWU forced an LCU turnover, which ignited the momentum and set up Celsur for a huge three pointer. Celsur's three gave the Pioneers a six-point lead with seven minutes left in the game.
 
While the Lady Chaparrals tried to find some footing and continued to pressure, it was Celsur's three that really claimed the momentum in the final quarter for the Pioneers.
 
Even though the momentum did shift with Celsur's shot, the final quarter was not without edgy moments for Pioneer fans.
 
With 3:35 on the clock, LCU three tied the game at 64-64.
 
Nevertheless, the anxious moments were short-lived, as the Pioneers passionately fought to stay united and find a way to win.
 
The answer in the fourth was Ingram, who scored or assisted on the final three TWU field goals of the game. Her assist to Huffman broke the tie and gave the Pioneers a two-point advantage. Then, Ingram connected on two jumpers and a free throw to give TWU a five-point lead.
 
 As 1:18 began to tick of the clock, LCU connected on their 10th three of the night to cut TWU's lead to just two.
 
Lockdown defense rang loudly amidst the chants for defense from fans for the Pioneers in the final minute of action. LCU would not score again in the remaining minutes. While they fouled in an attempt to extend the clock, they missed two threes and the Pioneers hit all their free throws.
 
Moyer and Hines came up clutch in the final 13 seconds for TWU, connecting on all of their free throw attempts. Hines' free throws iced the game, giving the Pioneers their 16th win of the season, 75-69.  
 
With the win, the Pioneers remain the lone undefeated team in the Lone Star Conference.
 
On offense, the strong shooting from Moyer tonight, who finished with 10 points on 4-9 from the field, opened the paint for Ingram to have a 20-point performance tonight. The selflessness and chemistry of the Pioneers contributes to their success on the court.
 
Ingram also protected the paint tonight, tying her career-high with three blocks. With the three blocks in this afternoon's game, Ingram has accumulated 46 career blocks in two years as a Pioneer, putting her in a tie for 10th on the TWU All-Time Blocks list.
 
Additionally, Ingram's 20-point performance marks her sixth game with 20 or more points this season.
 
Huffman added 12 points on a very efficient six-of-nine from the field, and Obineke rounded out the double-digit performances for TWU with 10 points and five boards.
 
A spark off the bench, Patel finished with a career-high nine points and two assists in the win. Celsur added six, and Hines and Jackson both finished with four.
 
"KMA was rocking this afternoon, and I want to say thank you to everyone for coming out to support," TWU Head Coach Beth Jillson said. "Tonight, we also celebrated our alumni, and I am so thankful for all they mean to our program. We would not be where we are today without their impact on TWU Basketball. Against Lubbock Christian, we had four players score in double-figures, which shows how versatile we are on the offensive end. Jada really stepped up for us tonight in the start and made good decisions throughout the game to put us in a position to be successful. I continue to be genuinely thankful for how this team shows up for each other every day and plays with a selfless passion. We look forward to continuing to play at home next week."
 
The Pioneers will be back in KMA on Thursday, January 26. They will honor breast cancer awareness in their annual Play 4 Kay game against Oklahoma Christian at 6 p.m.