ODESSA, Texas (Jan. 2, 2026) – The holiday break was kind to Texas Woman's basketball, as the third ranked team in the nation continued their dominance in the Lone Star Conference with a 73-59 road win over UT Permian Basin this afternoon.

UTPB (8-5, 3-2) became the fourth team this season to score at least 10 points in all four quarters against TWU (10-1, 4-0) to highlight the grinding nature of the afternoon matinee, but in this category the win came from the Pioneers outscoring their opponent in at least three of the four periods for the seventh time this season. Efficiency was key in the win as well, as TWU made at least 40% of their threes, free throws and shots from the field for the third time this season.

The win today raises the Pioneers win streak over the Falcons to four and keeps them in a tie for tops in the LSC with Lubbock Christian.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Averee Kleinhans turned in the sixth game this season with at least 30 minutes of playing time, leading the Pioneers with new career marks of 29 points and six three pointers. Kleinhans also led the team with seven free throws, setting another season high mark, adding nine rebounds, six assists and three steals to the stat sheet as well. On her way to 29 points, Kleinhans went 8-of-16 from the field, 6-of-8 from the three point line and 7-of-10 from the free throw line. 
• Gabby Elliott tallied 16 points in the win, setting new season high marks with 17 rebounds and three steals. Her 17 rebounds also marked a career high. The senior was efficient at the free throw line, making 6-of-8 attempts. 
• Jada Celsur recorded 14 points, shooting 6-for-11 from the field - the seventh game this season in which the senior made at least half of her field goals.

PIONEER POWER MOMENTS

• The Falcons scored the game's first basket off a free throw less than thirty seconds into the game – however the 1-0 lead would prove to be UTPB's only one of the game, as once the Pioneers gained the lead at 2-1 off a Kaylie Morgan layup at the 8:47 mark, TWU never looked back. A trey would tie the game at 6-6 for the Falcons, but Elliott quickly regained the lead for the Pioneers with a jumper to make the score 8-6 with 4:21 remaining in the opening period. A 7-0 scoring run would accentuate the scoring in this period, with the Pioneers eventually heading into the second with a 17-12 lead.
• UTPB threatened early to begin the second period, with a three pointer and layup tying the game at 17 two minutes into the frame. The Pioneers responded however with a 10-0 scoring run beginning with a Madi Lumsden three, bringing TWU's lead to 27-17 with 4:06 remaining. The Pioneers retained a double-digit lead through most of the remainder of the period, entering halftime with a 36-22 lead.
• A 7-0 scoring run by the Falcons opened the third period of play, whittling TWU's lead down to seven at 36-29 with eight minutes to play. After regaining the double-digit lead on two separate occasions, once again UTPB brought the Pioneer lead down to seven at 43-36 with 4:37 remaining, the second half of the third period was closely fought with the score remaining within single digits – however TWU remained on top, taking a 49-42 lead into the final period of play.
• The back-and-forth play persisted through much of the fourth period; however, UTPB was unable to get the lead down to a five-point margin. The longest scoring streak of the fourth, a 5-0 run by TWU, was achieved entirely at the free-throw line and brought the Pioneer lead to a 14-point margin at 69-55 with less than two minutes remaining. Kleinhans, scoring 12 points in this period, rounded out the scoring with a trey, completing the 73-59 win.

NEXT UP

The Pioneers head west to San Angelo, Texas for their only Sunday game of the regular season, taking on the Angelo State Rambelles for a 1 p.m. tip off.