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PIONEERS WORK OVERTIME TO TOP ENMU 85-79
 DENTON, Texas (Feb. 1) – The Texas Woman’s University Pioneers earned a crucial Lone Star Conference South Division victory on Thursday night with an 85-79 overtime win over the Eastern New Mexico University Zias at Magee Arena in Denton.
The visiting Zias appeared to be on the verge of their first conference win of the season when senior forward Elizabeth Richards scored a driving right hand layup to put ENMU on top 68-66 with just 5.1 seconds left to play in regulation.
Following a timeout, TWU had one final possession to try and score and force overtime.
Deep in her own backcourt, TWU guard Jessica Durr (pictured) freed herself from the ENMU defenders and caught the inbounds pass. After dribbling the length of the court, and as the buzzer sounded to end the game, the freshman from Plano ( Texas) High School launched a floating jump shot from just inside the left elbow of the ENMU lane. Durr’s shot bounced twice on the rim before dropping through the net to tie the game at 68 and force overtime.
After trading baskets with the Zias to start the extra session, TWU made a decisive surge. Margaret Wimbish, the Pioneers senior post player, scored five consecutive points (three free throws and a layup) to give the home team a 77-72 advantage with 2:00 left on the clock.
After a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Maggy Deweber extended the Pioneers lead to 79-72, Eastern New Mexico answered. First Richards hit a short jumper, then junior guard Roni Gomez drained a deep three point shot to pull the Zias to within two, 79-77.
With time winding down in the overtime period, ENMU was forced to foul to try and rally. A pair of freshman, post Chelsea Cook and guard Chelsi Thrailkill, responded for TWU. Cook knocked in two free throws with 19 seconds on the clock and Thrailkill sealed the Pioneers win by nailing a pair of free throws with just 11 seconds left to play.
Following the game, TWU head coach Rene Hanebutt was clearly pleased with her team’s dramatic win.
“We had the lead (in the first half), then fell behind in the second half. But, and this is what impressed me the most, we stepped up and made plays down the stretch to find a way to win. Jessica Durr hit an extremely clutch shot to force overtime and then Margaret (Wimbish) turned it on in the OT. This was a big win for us,” she said.
Cook finished as the Pioneers leading scorer in the game with 17 points. The first year player from Argyle, Texas also grabbed a TWU team-high 10 rebounds. Wimbish (13), Deweber (12) and Durr (10) also finished with double-digit points for the Pioneers.
Richards scored 25 of her game-high 29 points in the second half and overtime for the Zias. The Texico, New Mexico product also collected 12 rebounds for ENMU. Senior post Riikka Lehtonen chipped in with 21 points in the loss for the Zias.
With the win, TWU snaps a two-game losing streak and improves to 10-10 overall and 4-3 in Lone Star Conference play. The loss drops the Zias record to 9-10 for the year and 0-7 in the LSC South.
The Pioneers face another stiff test in their next game, this Saturday, February 3, at home against the LSC South leading West Texas A&M Lady Buffs. Tip off for Saturday night’s game will be at 7:00 p.m. in Magee Arena.
For additional details, please contact the TWU Sports Information office at (940) 898-2373. |
