Basketball | 2/1/2024 10:16:00 PM

EDMOND, Okla. (Feb. 1, 2024) - The Texas Woman's basketball team closed out a physical battle 78-60 as they defeated Oklahoma Christian on the road Thursday night. TWU finished with five Pioneers in double-digit scoring.

TWU (19-3, 13-1) added to its road win streak and recorded its fourth straight road win of the 2023-24 season in the win over OC (3-15, 2-12) on Thursday.

The Pioneers closed out the Eagles with a late run to counter the fourth quarter surge by Oklahoma Christian. TWU shot just over 50% from the field for the ninth time this season and an efficient 81% from the charity stripe.

The Pioneers currently ranks first in the LSC in field goal percentage per game.

In the physical matchup between the two, TWU forced 19 Eagle turnovers with nine steals. OC was held to under 40% from the field and three-point range.

Five Pioneers finished the game in double figures as Scout Huffman led the way with 17 points, shooting 70% from the floor. She added three boards, an assist, and one steal. Huffman has a combined 43 points in the last two games against the Eagles this season after scoring 26 points in their previous matchup on Jan. 6.

Jada Celsur was shy of Huffman with 16 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Ashley Ingram concluded the game with 14 points of her own, five rebounds, and a team high four assists. Leila Patel and Caroline Glud Rasmussen contributed 11 points each as Patel added five rebounds and two steals, while Glud Rasmussen ended with three assists, respectively.

Both teams got things going early on offense as they traded buckets within the first few possessions of this game. The Pioneers' inside-out game and active hands on defense allowed easy baskets to start. After the Eagles tied the game once more at 10-10 with five minutes played, TWU went on a 7-0 run led by Celsur to take the lead.

Coach Jillson and her team held OC scoreless from that point on until a last second step-back three by Kate Bradley for the Eagles to make it 17-13.

The Pioneers turned it up a notch in the second quarter, scoring eight unanswered points. The 1-2 combo of Huffman and Ingram gave the Eagles defense trouble as the Pioneers extended its lead to 33-17 with four minutes to go in the quarter.

Oklahoma Christian's offensive struggles and turnovers down the stretch led to a halftime deficit of 37-23.

The second half started much like the first quarter with both offenses executed at a high rate during the first few minutes of play. The Eagles went on to trim the Pioneer lead to just 11, 43-32, at the six minute mark. A three by Celsur sparked another quick run for the Pioneers as they began to click on all cylinders to bump their lead to as much as 17 with three minutes remaining in the quarter.

The Eagles didn't let up easy as they kept the game within reach heading into the fourth, trailing 57-44.

As TWU looked to close things out early in the fourth quarter, OC had other plans to make it hard on the Pioneers. The full court pressure from the Eagles caused a few TWU turnovers that cut the deficit to nine points with four minutes left to make it 64-55.

The late offensive run by OC ended after a strong finish from Ingram inside, which allowed the Pioneers to get over the slump. Huffman led the way with nine fourth quarter points as TWU sealed the 78-60 road victory over Oklahoma Christian.

TWU improves to 19-3 on the season and 13-1 in conference.

The Pioneers move to 8-2 all-time against the Eagles and are currently on an eight game win streak.

"We were very efficient on the offensive end tonight," said TWU Head Coach Beth Jillson. "To have five players in double figures says a lot about the way we moved the ball to find the best shot possible. I'm really looking forward to building off this performance for Saturday's game."

TWU remains on the road for its next LSC matchup against UAFS on Saturday, Feb. 3, at Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith, Ark.

Tip-off begins at 1 p.m.
 

-PIONEERS-