KINGSVILLE, Texas (Feb. 17, 2024) – On Saturday afternoon, the Texas Woman's basketball team secured their 14th straight win, defeating Texas A&M – Kingsville on the road, 62-59.

No. 9 TWU (24-3, 18-1) completed the season sweep over TAMUK (11-15, 7-12) with the three point road win.

The Pioneers battled low offensive efficiency on Saturday afternoon; nevertheless, their poise and composure down the stretch put them in the position to claim the victory. TWU's perseverance has been a strong characteristic all season.

Ashley Ingram recorded another dominant performance for TWU. She finished the day as the game's leading scorer and lone Pioneer to finish in double-digits. Ingram scored 28 points on 8-of-20 from the field and 12-of-14 from the free throw line. Ingram also dished out five assists, recorded one block and led the Pioneers on the boards with 10 rebounds. Her 28 points and 10 rebounds mark her 14th double-double of the season.

Leila Patel added nine points in the win, and both Jada Celsur and Gionna Carr scored seven points to help lead the Pioneers.

On the day, TWU dominated the rebounds battle, grabbing 45 boards to the Javelinas 31. Ingram led with 10, and both Scout Huffman and Averee Kleinhans grabbed six each.

TWU shared the wealth, dishing out 17 assists. Along with Ingram, Kleinhans finished with five assists to lead the Pioneers.

While TWU struggled in the turnover column, as TAMUK forced the Pioneers into 15 turnovers. The Pioneers did a great job of getting back on defense after turning the ball over, only giving up nine points off those turnovers in the game.

On the defensive end, TWU grabbed six steals and forced the Javelinas to commit 10 turnovers. Celsur led the defensive charge for the Pioneers with three steals.

Despite being outscored in the first two quarters of action, TWU returned for the second half with a defensive focus, as they held the Javelinas to just nine points in the third quarter to claim the lead. The quarter marked the 17th quarter this season the Pioneers have held an opponent to less than 10 points in a quarter.

The third quarter proved to be the difference maker, as the Pioneers outscored the Javelinas 21-9 in the quarter to shift the momentum.

TWU found their first lead of the game, 42-41, with 2:33 left in the third quarter off a layup by Patel. The Pioneers would close the third quarter with a 5-2 run to head into the final quarter of action with a four-point advantage, 47-43.

While the score came within one-point multiple times, the Pioneers would never trail in the fourth quarter. They opened the quarter with a three-minute scoring drought, but they held the Javelinas to just two points during that time period.

Ingram broke the drought with two made free throws to increase TWU's lead back up to four, 49-45. In the final quarter of action, Ingram championed the Pioneers to the lead, as she scored 11 of TWU's 15 points. Patel joined in and came up big in clutch moments, scoring the other four points for TWU to aid in the win.

With five seconds on the clock, two made free throws by Ingram would put TWU ahead by three, 62-59. The Javelinas tried for a tying-attempt, but the Pioneers defended well to secure the victory, 62-59.

"This season is a journey, not a sprint, and we play in one of the strongest conference in Division II," TWU Beth Jillson said. "Our team continues to show their strength in composure and put themselves into position to win games. Ashley stepped up huge for us today on both sides of the floor. We are excited to be back at home next week in KMA!"

The Pioneers will play their final two home games of the regular season next week. The home stand will kick off on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. against Angelo State.