SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Jan. 15, 2026) – For the Texas Woman's basketball team, their Thursday night meeting with St. Mary's followed a similar storyline to their first meeting earlier this season – a closely contested battled; however, the Pioneers managed to put distance between them and the Rattlers earlier in the clock to secure their 13th straight victory and complete the season sweep of StMU with the 69-57 victory. 

STMU (9-5, 4-4) managed double-digit points in each of the four periods against third-ranked TWU (14-1, 8-0), but the Pioneers remained one step ahead to remain undefeated in Lone Star Conference play.

One of the deciding factors on the stat sheet in the final score were the Rattlers' 15 turnovers, which translated to 18 points for the Pioneers. Ten of these turnovers were TWU steals, the seventh game this season with at least 10.

The win is TWU's 10th in a row against the Rattlers and keeps the Pioneers undefeated on the road this season at 8-0. With the win, TWU remains one of three undefeated teams in the LSC, as West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico are all 8-0 in conference play. 

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Gabby Elliott, in a season-high 37 minutes of playing time, led the team with 22 points, her fifth game this season with at least 20. The senior shot 58.8% from the field, sinking 10 baskets for the second time this season. Elliott also recorded 10 rebounds and set a new season high with five assists. It marked her seventh double-double of the season. 
• Averee Kleinhans tallied 14 points in the win, continuing the streak of double-digit scoring games which began in the season opener. Kleinhans made 2-of-4  three point shots, and made all six free throw attempts – the highest total out of the seven games this season in which she shot 100% from the free throw line. Defensively, the senior matched a season best with five steals.
• Jada Celsur added 11 points to the total, shooting 41.7% from the field and sinking a trey. Celsur added a pair of rebounds and steals defensively as well.

PIONEER POWER MOMENTS

• TWU showed up early on defense, swiping the ball twice in the first two minutes of the opening period. The effort would pay off with the game's first basket going to Elliott to give the Pioneers an early 2-0 lead at the 8:41 mark. Following another Elliott jumper, the Rattlers responded with a three pointer and a layup while a Julie Kasonga jumper sandwiched in between brought the score to within one, at 6-5. This early struggle for scoreboard dominance highlighted most of the first period's action, with the Pioneers taking a slight 17-16 lead into the second.
• The second period began as the first did, with a steal – this one by Kayla Glover who then drove the court and sank a trey to give TWU a 19-16 lead 50 seconds in. After a Rattler layup brought the score back to within one, the Pioneers opened up their first scoring rally of note in the game, a 7-0 run which put the visitors ahead 26-18 with under six minutes remaining. The second period would end with both teams alternating baskets; a three pointer by Jaylee Moss being the last to send the Pioneers into the half with an eight-point lead at 35-27. 
• Glover broke the defensive deadlock which dominated the first two minutes of the third period with a layup, giving the Pioneers their first double-digit lead at 37-27. The third period continued much like the first two, with the longest scoring streak by either team being a 5-0 run by the Rattlers. However a pair of 4-0 runs by TWU kept them in control, with the second restoring the double-digit lead. After the 5-0 STMU run erased this margin, a Kleinhans jumper beat the buzzer to restore an 11-point lead for the Pioneers, to take a 54-43 lead into the final period of play.
• After briefly losing the double-digit lead again in the early stages of the final period, a pair of Kleinhans' free throws restored the 11-point lead at 56-45 at the 8:20 mark, and TWU would not look back. For the fourth time this season, the Pioneers scored the first basket and kept the lead throughout the game en route to the 69-57 win.

NEXT UP

The Pioneers remain on the road for a Saturday afternoon matinee against St. Edward's, with tip-off in Austin, Texas scheduled for 1 p.m.