DENTON, Texas (Feb. 15, 2025) – The Texas Woman's basketball team overcame a seven-point deficit in the second quarter to roll to another victory in Kitty Magee Arena on Saturday.

TWU (25-1, 18-1) defeated Texas A&M – Kingsville (15-10, 10-8) 61-52, claiming their 19th straight win of the season and 15th straight win in KMA on Alumni Day, as the Pioneers celebrated the incredible legacy of TWU Basketball. 

At halftime, the Pioneers were tied, 32-32, with the Javelinas. Then, they outscored TAMUK 14-8 in the third quarter to claim the momentum which lead them to their nine-point victory.

The Pioneers held the Javelinas to just 52 points, marking the 18th straight game TWU has held their opponent to 55 or less points. On the defensive end, TWU forced TAMUK to turn the ball over 20 times for 20 TWU points, marking the seventh time this season and second straight game the Pioneers have forced 20 or more turnovers.

TWU's bench brought a much-needed spark in the game, outscoring the Javelinas' bench 30-6. Jada Celsur led the Pioneers' bench with a season high 14 points.

Ashley Ingram led the way for the Pioneers with 18 points and 10 rebounds, recording her 11th double-double of the season.

The win marked TWU's 25th win of the season and 18th in Lone Star Conference action. They currently rank second in the East Division with one loss in conference play.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• To her double-double, Ingram added four assists and two steals to her stat line. She went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. With her two steals on the night, Ingram moved into seventh all-time in steals in program history.
• Celsur added two rebounds, one steal and one assist to her season high points. She also went a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
• Averee Kleinhans joined Ingram and Celsur in double-digits, as she finished the day with 12 points. She also grabbed two rebounds, dished out two assists and recorded one steal and one block. Kleinhans added two assists to her stat line.
• Leila Patel and Gabby Elliott both grabbed five rebounds. Patel also finished the game with a season high two steals.

PIONEER POWER MOMENTS

• The Pioneers shot 39.2% from the field and 33.3% from behind the arc. They also added 26 points in the paint to TAMUK's 18 points in the paint. TWU won the rebound battle 28-24 and claimed 12 offensive rebounds for 11 second chance points.
• TWU gave up 11 turnovers but only allowed the Javelinas to score two points off those turnovers.
• On the other side, TAMUK shot 45.5% from the field, 42.9% from the three point line and 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
• The Pioneers held the Javelinas to just one player in double figures, as Kaycee Graves finished with 24 points.
• Ingram scored the first bucket of the game just 17 seconds into the game. Ariyanna Hines grabbed the steal, Huffman dished the assist and Ingram got the Pioneers rolling.
• The Pioneers would trail by two, 7-5, with 6:28 on the clock in the first. After a two minute scoring drought by both teams, Ingram broke the drought with a triple and gave the Pioneers the lead, 8-7.
• In the final two minutes of the first quarter, TAMUK went on a 9-2 run. Trailing by six, 16-10, Celsur drained an open three off the assist from Glover to cut the Pioneers' deficit to three, 16-13.
• Elliott opened the second quarter with two straight buckets to cut the Javelinas' lead to one twice. Then, at the 7:28 mark, Celsur hit her second triple of the day off the pass from Patel to tie the game at 20. She followed up her three with a reverse layup to reclaim the lead for TWU, 22-20 with 6:59 remaining in the second quarter.
• TAMUK would find their largest lead of the day, 30-23, at the 3:54 mark of the second. After a three minute scoring drought by TWU, Huffman broke the drought with a mid-range jumper to cut their deficit to five, 30-25, with 3:30 left in the first half.
• Kleinhans hit a three off the assist from Celsur with 2:55 on the clock to bring TWU within two, 30-28.
• The Pioneers would score the final two buckets of the half – a layup from Kleinhans and final second jumper by Celsur tied the game up at 32 at halftime.
• The third quarter proved to be a difference maker, as the Pioneers held the Javelinas to just eight points, marking the 25th quarter this season TWU has held their opponent to under 10 points. TWU responded with 14 points in the third.
• Nine of the Pioneers 14 points in the third were from the free throw line, as they worked to get buckets while struggling from the field. Two made free throws by Kleinhans late in the quarter gave TWU a three point advantage. Then, Kleinhans drained a three off the assist from Ingram to put the Pioneers ahead by six, 46-40, heading into the fourth and final quarter of action.
• With 7:18 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Patel hit a triple to put the Pioneers ahead by nine, 51-42.
• TWU would go on an 8-0 run across four minutes of action. With 44 seconds on the clock, the Pioneers would find their largest lead of the day at 12, 59-47. TAMUK would play the foul game to close the game, as the Pioneers would go 4-for-4 to end the game and claim the win, 61-52.

HEAR FROM JADA CELSUR

Jada Celsur shares her post game thoughts with Alexis Davis here: https://youtu.be/oA8L5bCciwU.

NEXT UP

The Pioneers will take their final road trip of the regular season next week. They will meet Angelo State on Thursday, Feb. 20. Then, they will travel to UT Permian Basin on Saturday, Feb. 22.