DENTON, Texas (Feb. 22, 2024) - An all-around team effort and success at the charity stripe lifted the Texas Woman's basketball team over Angelo State, 79-72. TWU shot 80% from the foul line and had four Pioneers in double digit scoring.

The Pioneers (25-3, 19-1) extended their win streak to 15 games and recorded its 12th home victory of the season against ASU (18-10, 12-7) on Thursday night.

A neck-and-neck battle in KMA is one way to describe it, as both squads finished with similar stats in the books. An 18-4 bench point advantage by the Pioneers gave them the upper edge as TWU held off the Rambelles despite late offensive surges by ASU.

Four Pioneers finished the game in double figures, as Ashley Ingram led the way with 26 points on 60% shooting and nine rebounds. Ingram finished 6-10 from the field, 2-3 from three, and contributed five assists.

Leila Patel was the second-leading scorer with 16 points, four rebounds, and a season high two blocks. Averee Kleinhans and Jada Celsur contributed 14 and 12 points respectively, as Kleinhans added five rebounds, while Celsur ended with seven rebounds and three steals.

Both teams came out aggressive on the offensive end, trying to gain the upper edge in this conference matchup. TWU got going early and jumped out to a 7-2 lead after a lead-off three from Caroline Glud Rasmussen. The Rambelles matched the energy and got some high percentage shots to fall to tie the game at 10, under five minutes in the first.

The Pioneers extended their lead to five before heading to the second quarter with a 15-11 lead.

TWU started the second quarter off strong and stayed persistent throughout the quarter on both ends. The Pioneers went on to up their lead to as many as 12 points, 32-20, after stringing together some stops with finishes on the other end. Good team defense and trips to the free throw line allowed the Pioneers to control the pace as they finished off the quarter strong despite Angelo State knocking down a three before entering halftime down 36-28.

The start of the third quarter was similar to the first as the competitiveness and physicality started to rise. ASU was able to keep the game within reach and get stops to cut the deficit to 40-37. The inside-out game by the Pioneers helped build their lead back up to 10 with under five minutes remaining.

A strong third quarter kept the momentum in favor of the Pioneers as they closed the quarter with a 54-45 lead.

ASU started the fourth with intensity and went on an early 9-0 run to tie the game at 54 within the first three minutes. Kleinhans responded with back-to-back unanswered buckets to make it 58-54. Shortly after, a corner three by Patel popped the roof off in KMA to top off a 9-2 run.

The backcourt trio of Kleinhans, Celsur, and Patel led offensively for the Pioneers throughout the fourth quarter as Ingram finished the game at the free throw line to give TWU their 15 straight win, 79-72. Ingram went 12-14 on the night at the charity stripe.

The Pioneers snapped a three-game losing streak against ASU and improved to 25-3 on the season and 19-1 in the conference.

"We came out really strong to start the game, and I liked our composure knowing Angelo State would make a good push towards the end," said TWU Head Coach Beth Jillson. "We had different players step up for us throughout the game, and I thought our defensive stops and aggressive play to get to the free throw line helped us down the stretch."

Texas Woman's basketball has a short turnaround and will be back in KMA to face UTPB on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.
 

-PIONEERS-