DENTON, Texas (Jan. 26, 2023) – Behind five double-digit point performances, the Texas Woman's basketball team defeated Oklahoma Christian by 17 points in Kitty Magee Arena on Thursday night.
 
TWU (18-1, 13-0) increased their win streak to 16 games and eight wins in KMA, as they reigned victorious over OC (3-15, 3-11).
 
Tonight, the Pioneers wore pink in honor of Coach Kay Yow and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. In partnership with the Play4Kay movement, the Pioneers recognized individuals who have battled cancer. The players, coaches and fans wore pink in honor of friends, family and loved ones.
 
As stated by the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, the Play4Kay platform also serves as a platform to unite survivors, honor courageous women in our community and to spread hope.
 
Prior to the game, the Pioneers recognized the individuals they were honoring by wearing pink, and at halftime, the survivors in the crowd stood and were celebrated for their continued strength and courage.
 
"Tonight was about more than basketball and more than the result," TWU Head Coach Beth Jillson said. "Wearing pink in honor of the courageous men and women who have battled cancer inspires us to have strength and courage. Additionally, it unites us together as we aim to lift others up and bring awareness through the Play4Kay initiative."
 
In the win, five Pioneers scored 10 or more points on an efficient offensive night for TWU. As a team, the Pioneers shot 50% from the field and a season-high 50% from the three point line.
 
Sadie Moyer led the offensive charge for TWU, igniting the crowd with four made threes on just five attempts and 6-11 from the field for 16 points. Ashley Ingram dominated the post play, scoring 12 points on 4-6 from the field. Ingram also distributed the ball well out of double-teams, finishing the night with a career high six assists.
 
Scout Huffman remained a consistent force for the Pioneers on offense and on the boards, as she finished the night with 11 points and seven rebounds.
 
Providing a needed spark off the bench, Leila Patel continued to grow her offensive game. Patel scored a career-high 11 points on 3-6 from the three point line.
 
With a season-high 10 points on 2-3 from downtown, Ariyanna Hines found her shooting spark in tonight's win to mark the fifth Pioneer to record double-digits against Oklahoma Christian.
 
While the Pioneers eventually flexed and pulled away for a 17-point win, the first quarter was high-scoring for both TWU and OC.
 
Despite started off the game hot from downtown with two back-to-back three pointers from Moyer, back-and-forth scoring in the quarter gave the Pioneers just a three-point lead headed into the second quarter of action.
 
Tonight, the second quarter proved to the difference maker. The Pioneers held the Eagles to just eight points, marking their ninth time this season they have held an opponent to less than 10 points in a quarter. The Eagles shot just 20% from the field and 0% from beyond the arc, due to the Pioneers stifling defense.
 
While they were holding the Eagles scoreless, the Pioneers mounted a 14-2 run in the first seven minutes of the quarter. The run was majorly ignited by the smooth shooting of Patel, who connected on three back-to-back three pointers in three minutes of play.
 
At the 1:37 mark of the second quarter, Hines drained her first long distance shot of the game to give the Pioneers a 16-point advantage. Hines' three stoked the fire for TWU, and Huffman and Ingram both answered with jumpers 16 seconds apart to extend TWU's lead to 18.
 
Following two OC free throws, the Pioneers headed into the locker room with a 16-point lead over the Eagles after outscoring them 21-8 in the quarter.
 
The third quarter was a mirror image of the first, with the Eagles scoring 15 and the Pioneers scoring 18.
 
TWU opened the half with free throws from Brielle Woods and Hines – Woods hit one, and Hines hit two. Although TWU struggled from the charity stripe tonight (shooting just 60%), they supplemented those points with stellar three point shooting, as is evident in the next plays.
 
Less than a minute apart, Ingram assisted on back-to-back threes, as Moyer hit one and Hines hit one to extend the Pioneers' lead to 22 points. Then, Huffman continued the scoring trend by connecting on a jumper to hold TWU's advantage at 22.
 
Ingram granted TWU their largest lead of the night at 23 with one made free throw at the 4:42 mark of the third.
 
Despite the Eagles closing the quarter on a 5-2 run, Ingram owned the paint and hit a jumper with 19 seconds on the clock to send the Pioneers into the final 10 minutes of action with a 19-point advantage.
 
Huffman opened the final quarter quickly for the Pioneers, hitting a jump shot in the first 30 seconds off a Brielle Woods' assist. Then, Woods followed up with her own floater in the paint after breaking down her defender off the dribble.
 
The Eagles attempted to claw back in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 points to the Pioneers 15, but TWU snipped their talons and maintained steady scoring to win the game, 73-56.
 
TWU remains the sole undefeated team in the Lone Star Conference.
 
The Pioneers forced the Eagles into 20 turnovers and scored 27 points off of those turnovers. Also in the defensive category, the Pioneers grabbed a season-high 13 steals. Woods and Jada Celsur both topped the Pioneer leader board with three steals each – a career-high for Celsur. TWU held the Eagles to shooting just 33.3% from the field and 18.2% from the three.
 
TWU also grabbed 34 boards tonight, and they were led by Woods with eight rebounds. The Pioneers dominated the game in transition, scoring 17 fast break points to the Eagles two.
 
"We were so diversified on the offensive end tonight," Jillson said. "To have five players score in double-digits tonight shows the strength of our lineup. We also recorded 16 assists tonight, just one off of our season-high. Tonight was a total team win, and I loved being able to put it together in front of our home crowd."
 
The Pioneers are back in KMA on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. against Arkansas – Fort Smith.