Basketball | 2/6/2026 11:02:00 AM

Box Score DENTON, Texas (Feb. 5, 2026) – Returning to Kitty Magee Arena after a pair of huge road wins, Texas Woman's basketball defended their position alone atop the Lone Star Conference standings, improving to an 18-game win streak on the season with a 63-51 win over UT-Tyler.

In a contest dominated by three attempts UTT (14-8, 10-3) continued their consistent output of attempts on the season with 26 tonight – the Patriots have attempted at least 20 in every game but two. However, third-ranked TWU (19-1, 13-0) made the most of their three point attempts, out-shooting their opponent in this category 35% to 26.9%. The Pioneers swarmed on defense as well, tallying 31 defensive rebounds – their fifth game this season with at least 30.

The turning point of the game came in the thid quarter, when the Pioneers outscored the Patriots, 22-8, marking the 17th quarter this season TWU has held their opponent to less than 10 points in a quarter. 

The Pioneers edged the Patriots 22-20 in points in the paint, and tied the UTT at 11 with points off turnovers, illustrating the closeness of a game which TWU led only by four entering the half. The lead increased to double digits by the final buzzer, and TWU took back-to-back wins against UTT, and continued their undefeated home streak in the all-time match-up.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Averee Kleinhans tallied 21 points in the win, her sixth game with at least 20. Kleinhans led the Pioneers in three pointers made and attempted, sinking three of seven attempts, and was 8-for-10 at the free throw line. The senior also added nine rebounds – all defensively – and a pair of steals.
• Gabby Elliott added 21 points in the contest as well, her eighth with at least 20 this season. The senior shot 8-for-13 from the field, and added 14 rebounds to record her ninth double-double of the season. 
• Jada Celsur rounded out TWU's double-digit scoring with 11 points in the game. Celsur tallied six rebounds and four assists to the stat sheet as well.

PIONEER POWER MOMENTS

• Both teams began the contest with a missed three-point attempt, an early sign of the large number of treys to be attempted in the game (46 in total). However, after missing their first attempts, both teams made their second, with a Celsur three putting TWU on the board first, followed by a UTT three tying the game at the 7:10 mark. The Patriots would gain the lead on two separate occasions, both before the halfway point of the opening period, but a 9-0 scoring run beginning with a pair of Kleinhans threes catapulted the home team to a 15-9 lead with 2:40 remaining. 
• The first three minutes of the second period were marked with a defensive struggle for both sides, with the first points coming at the 7:14 mark with a pair of Elliott free throws, increasing the Pioneers lead to eight at 19-11. The defensive struggle quickly turned into an offensive battle after this point, with both teams trading baskets throughout the remaining period. TWU recorded a 7-0 scoring run beginning with three and a half minutes remaining, and the Pioneers would open up their first double-digit lead of the game during this run, but the Patriots would just outscore the home team 19-17 in the period to trail by only four at the half.
• Only a little over a minute passed to open the third period with a score, as a tip-in by Elliott brought the score to 36-30 at the 9:25 mark. The first half of the period featured much of the same back-and-forth scoring, however a 7-0 TWU run beginning at 5:19 saw the Pioneers back on top by double digits with a 49-37 lead at its conclusion. This time, the double-digit lead would remain through the end of the period.
• UTT would not go down easy in the fourth period, outsourcing the Pioneers in the final frame 13-7, including an 8-0 scoring run ending just under three minutes remaining in the period. However, thanks to TWU outscoring the opponent 22-8 in the third, their lead never dropped below double-digits, and the home team secured the 63-51 win.

POST GAME INTERVIEW 

Hear from Averee Kleinhans after the win: https://youtu.be/VSv20pmQAwE

NEXT UP

The Pioneers continue their home stretch on Saturday afternoon, as 20th-ranked Lubbock Christian comes to KMA for a 1 p.m. tip-off.