DENTON, Texas (Nov. 10, 2025) – To open the 2025-26 season, the Texas Woman's basketball team hosted the 2025 D2CCA Tip Off Classic in Kitty Magee Arena.

Across Friday and Saturday, the Pioneers faced Wayne State and No. 25 Harding. TWU (1-1) opened their season with a victory over Wayne State (1-1), 61-56, but they fell to Harding (2-0), 75-59.

Following the weekend, Gabby Elliott was named to the D2CCA Tip Off Classic All-Tournament Team. In the two games, she went 52.6% from the field, grabbed 19 total rebounds, recorded three blocks and averaged 10.5 points per game.

KEY PLAYERS

AGAINST WAYNE STATE

• In her first game as a Pioneer, Madi Lumsden led the Pioneers with 19 points on 7-of-12 from the field. She also added five rebounds, one steal and one assist.
• Averee Kleinhans also finished in double digits, as she added 11 points. She also grabbed six rebounds.
• Elliott led the rebounding battle with 12 total boards, including four offensive rebounds. She also finished with eight points.
• Kayla Glover also added eight points in the win. She also dished out three assists and grabbed three steals.

AGAINST HARDING

• In the loss to Harding, Kleinhans led TWU with 16 points. She also grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists.
• Elliott added 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, while Jada Celsur was the other Pioneer to finish in double-digits with 10 points.

PIONEER POWER MOMENTS

AGAINST WAYNE STATE

• In the win, the Pioneers finished with 32 points in the paint. They forced the Warriors to turn the ball over 20 times for 17 TWU points.
• The Pioneers opened the game with great defense, holding Wayne State to just nine points. After starting off with the lead in the first, TWU fell behind by four points. Then, a three by Celsur  followed by a jumper by Elliott put TWU ahead by one, 10-9, with 2:26 remaining in the first. Wayne State would not score again in the quarter, as Kleinhans and Jaylee Moss ended the quarter with back-to-back buckets for TWU to take a five-point lead, 14-9, into the second quarter.
• The score would be tied twice, 16 and 18, in the second quarter. With the score tied at 18, Glover connected on a layup to put TWU back ahead by two, 20-18. Glover's layup would ignite a 7-0 run by the Pioneers to increase their lead to seven, 25-18. Wayne State would close the half with a layup, but TWU would maintain a five-point lead heading into the halftime break, 25-20.
• TWU would never trail in the third quarter. They would find their largest lead of the night at nine off a Lumsden layup with 6:34 on the clock. After the Warriors cut it to three, Kleinhans answered with a triple to extend TWU's lead back to six, 36-30. The scoring would go back-and-forth to end the quarter, as the Pioneers took a four-point advantage, 44-40, into the fourth quarter.
• Wayne State opened the fourth quarter with seven straight points to take a three-point lead, 47-44. Glover connected on an and-one play to tie the game at 47. Nevertheless, the Pioneers would not find the lead again until 2:15 left in the game. A layup by Kleinhans followed by a three pointer by Lumsden put TWU ahead by four, 56-52. The Warriors entered the fouling game with 22 seconds left on the clock, and the Pioneers stayed poised to close the game. TWU would win by five, after two free throws by Moss sealed the five-point win, 61-56.

AGAINST HARDING

• The Pioneers scored 36 points in the paint and 16 second chance points against the Lady Bisons. They shot just 38.1% from the field and 28.6% from the field. They forced Harding to turn the ball over 17 times for 10 TWU points. On the other side, Harding shot 46.4% from the field and 38.5% from the three point line. They scored 18 second chance points, but forced TWU to turn the ball over just 10 times. The big difference was rebounds, as Harding grabbed 46 rebounds to TWU's 27.
• Harding opened the scoring with a three to start the first quarter. TWU quickly answered with a jumper by Kleinhans to come within one, 3-2. The Lady Bisons would push their lead to nine, 13-4, in the first. The Pioneers would cut the deficit to two after a 9-2 run, which included two and-ones by Glover and Moss. Harding closed the quarter with two three pointers to go ahead, 24-17. A layup by Kleinhans in the final seconds would mark the final basket of the opening 10 minutes, as TWU would head into the second quarter down by five, 24-19.
• TWU would find the lead with 2:52 remaining in the half. Moss connected on a three pointer off the assist from Lumsden to put TWU ahead by one, 34-32. However, Harding closed the quarter with 12 unanswered points to take an 11-point lead into the halftime break, 45-34.
• Harding would maintain their double-digit lead for the remainder of the game, as they won the contest, 75-59. In the fourth quarter, the Pioneers held them to just six points, marking their second quarter this season holding an opponent to less than 10 points in a quarter.

NEXT UP

The Pioneers go on the road for their next non-conference games. They will travel to Colorado for the Conference Challenge on Nov. 14 and 15 to face Colorado School of Mines and UCCS.