DENTON, Texas (March 14, 2025) – Statement start.

On Friday night in Kitty Magee Arena, the Texas Woman's basketball team opened the 2025 NCAA South Central Regional Tournament with a statement victory.

No. 1 TWU (32-1) defeated the No. 8 seed Adams State (19-12) in the quarterfinals of the 2025 NCAA South Central Regional Tournament on March 14, 75-52. The 23-point victory marked TWU's largest margin of victory in an NCAA South Central Regional Tournament game.

It marked the Pioneers' ninth victory by 20 or more points and 25th victory holding their opponents to 55 or less points. The Pioneers never trailed and were never tied across the 40 minutes of action – marking the sixth wire-to-wire win of the season and second in postseason action.

With the win, TWU advances to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament Semifinals for the second straight season and third time in program history.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Four Pioneers finished the night in double figures.
• Averee Kleinhans led the way with 15 points on 6-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 from the three. She also added four rebounds, one assist and two steals.
• Leila Patel finished with 12 points on 2-of-4 from the three point line, and she recorded one assist, one rebound and one steal.
• Ashley Ingram recorded 11 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from the field. To her perfect field goal percentage, she added 11 rebounds, three assists and one block. The double-double marked Ingram's 15th double-double of the season.
• Scout Huffman also scored in double-digits. She played for 23 minutes and recorded 10 points on 4-of-10 from the field. Huffman also added six rebounds in the win.
• Gionna Carr led the Pioneers' from the charity stripe, as TWU went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Carr went a perfect 4-for-4. Patel and Gabby Elliott both went 2-for-2 from the line, and Ingram went 1-for-1.
• Elliott dominated the boards as well she grabbed six rebounds, four of which were offensive rebounds.
• Kayla Glover dished out a career high six assists.

 PIONEER POWER MOMENTS

• TWU shot 49.2% from the field and 44.4% from the three point line. They scored 36 points in points, and the Pioneers' bench finished with 33 points.
• The stifling defense of TWU held Adams State to 31% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. They allowed them to score just four second chance points, five fast break points and nine bench points. The 52 total points marked the Grizzlies' third lowest point total of the season.
• In front of the home crowd, the Pioneers fed off the energy in the arena and jumped out to a quick 11-0 run to start the game. After a three pointer by Huffman brought the score to 11-0 with 7:55 left in the quarter, the crowd went wild.
• With 4:35 on the clock, Huffman would drain another three and increase the Pioneers' lead to 15 in the opening quarter of action.
• Kleinhans would close the 23-point quarter for the Pioneers with a steal and a layup to send TWU into the second quarter ahead by 13, 23-10.
• TWU would continue their strong offense in the second quarter, as they would lead by as much as 18 points. Adams State would come within 12 in the quarter, but a coast-to-coast layup by Ingram under a minute to play would quickly swing the momentum back to TWU and send the Pioneers into halftime ahead by 14, 37-23.
• Out of the halftime break, TWU would once again score 23 points to open the second half. In the opening three minutes of the third, Adams State would cut the lead to nine points. Then, TWU responded with a 17-0 run. A triple by Kleinhans would cap off the run and firmly establish TWU back with a commanding lead, 56-30.
• TWU would head into the final quarter of action ahead by 24, 60-36.
• The Pioneers would lead by as much as 27 in the final quarter, 68-41, after a steal and layup with 7:04 left in the game.
• Carr would put the exclamation point on the game with a layup off the assist by Kleinhans, as TWU would claim the win, 75-52.  

HEAR FROM THE PIONEERS

Hear from the Pioneers' Head Coach Beth Jillson, senior Leila Patel and junior Averee Kleinhans in the postgame press conference here.

NEXT UP

The Pioneers will meet the No. 5 seed Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds on Saturday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Kitty Magee Arena in the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament Semifinals. The winner will advance to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament Championship – the Sweet Sixteen - on Monday, March 17 at 7 p.m.