DENTON, Texas (Dec. 4, 2024) – On Wednesday night, the Texas Woman's basketball team held their opponent under 50 points for the third time this season and secured their third straight home win, improving to 3-0 in KMA.

TWU (8-1, 1-1) defeated Midwestern State (2-6, 0-2) behind a 25-5 bench points advantage in favor of the Pioneers and a career high night from Lelia Patel who grabbed nine rebounds and turned three shots away with blocks to add to her 10 point night.

Four Pioneers finished in double figures in points, and Patel was just shy of a double-double. The Pioneers leaned on their defensive and aggressive play to get to the line, extending their lead and closing out the Mustangs at home.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Averee Kleinhans led the way on offense for TWU with 13 points. She also dished out three assists and had two takeaways on defense.

• Scout Huffman finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists on the night. After becoming the 13th Pioneer all-time to reach 1000 career points in her last outing, she moved into 10th all-time on the TWU scoring list after a quick seven-point first quarter against MSU.

• Leila Patel and Ashley Ingram joined Kleinhans and Huffman in double-digits with 10 points a piece. Patel added a career high nine rebounds and three blocks as Ingram finished with her ninth straight double-digit point game and grabbed four boards and added a block to her stat line.

• Four Pioneers shot a perfect 100% from the line tonight in Kleinhans, Huffman, Patel, and Kayla Glover as the Pioneers shot 75% from the charity stripe as a team. Gabby Elliott also added another season high eight points with five rebounds to go along with a Pioneer career high three blocks.

PIONEER POWER MOMENTS

• The Pioneers focused on the defensive end to limit scoring opportunities for MSU as they finished with a season high nine blocks as a team.

• TWU forced 18 Mustang turnovers and held MSU to shoot 33% from the field and 10% from beyond the arc.

• TWU had the upper edge in the paint tonight outscoring the Mustangs 30-26 and had a 25-5 bench point advantage.

• In the first quarter, TWU saw themselves down 4-0 after a few missed jumpers then went on a quick 9-0 run and never looked back. 

• The run was initiated by the dynamic duo, Ingram and Huffman, who opened up the rim for Kleinhans, who finished the quarter strong with a pair of jump shots and a free throw, leading the Pioneers to a 14-8 advantage.

• At the beginning of the second quarter, both teams focused on their defensive strategies, resulting in several empty possessions. However, Patel hit a three pointer that extended the TWU lead to 19-10.

• As the Mustangs cut the lead to just three points with under four minutes remaining in the half, the Pioneers managed to maintain a six point lead, heading into the locker room with a score of 26-20.

• In the third quarter, TWU held the Mustangs to only six points while adding 20 to their total, showcasing a stronger offensive effort. The Pioneers' inside-out game became too much for MSU, and they benefited from physical play and trips to the free-throw line, resulting in a 46-26 lead by the end of the quarter.

• This strong inside-out strategy from the Pioneers continued to shine in the fourth quarter, as they extended their lead to 23 points after Kleinhans finished through contact to start the period.

• Despite the Mustangs' pressing defensive efforts, TWU held on to secure a 63-45 home victory over MSU.

FROM HEAD COACH BETH JILLSON
"I'm really proud of our effort on the defensive end tonight, especially on the boards. To hold them to 11 offensive rebounds and only 8 second-chance points was a huge part of our success. Offensively we were balanced and had several players step up throughout the game. I thought Scout and Averee had a lot of success early and Ashley and Leila both had some big buckets in the second half to help extend our lead. Overall, a great team win to build off of going forward."

NEXT UP
The Pioneers will be back in action in KMA on Friday, Dec. 6, as they take on Lubbock Christian. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.