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Life > Athletics > Basketball > 2/21/08
SECOND HALF FLURRY SENDS PIONEERS PAST ZIAS 65-48
Box Score
 DENTON, Texas (February 21) – A 20-4 run to start the second half carried the Texas Woman’s University Pioneers to a 65-48 win over the Eastern New Mexico University Zias on Thursday night at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton.
TWU was clinging to a slim 31-27 lead to open the final twenty minutes of play after ENMU scored the last six points of the first half. The Pioneers, however, wasted little time in regaining control of the game following the break.
Sophomore guard Jessica Durr (pictured) sparked the TWU rally with five quick points, a driving layup and a long three-point shot, in the first eighteen seconds of the half. After the Pioneers’ Keshia Bolds knocked down a three-pointer of her own, Durr delivered another pull up jumper to push the Pioneers’ advantage to 41-27.
A timeout by ENMU did little to slow the Pioneers’ momentum. With the Zias focusing their defensive efforts on Durr, TWU worked the ball inside to their frontcourt duo of junior Renee Renz and sophomore Chelsea Cook. Renz and Cook scored eight of the Pioneers’ next ten points to extend the TWU lead to 51-33.
“Obviously that was the knockout punch,” said TWU head coach Beth Jillson of her team’s surge at the beginning of the half. “ Eastern New Mexico had fought hard to make it close at halftime. What I liked was that we responded. Instead of panicking and getting flustered, we turned up our intensity and raised our level of play.”
Durr and freshman guard Tia Dixon finished with 15 points apiece to lead the Pioneers in scoring. Cook (12 points) and senior guard Brandi Crouch (nine points) also played pivotal roles in the TWU offense. Forced to fire away from outside because of the Zias collapsing zone defense, more than half of the Pioneers’ points in the game (33) came from behind the three-point arc. TWU made 11 out of the 31 three-point shots they attempted, both season-highs.
“They were daring us to shoot the three all night long,” explained Jillson. “ENMU was packing three to four defenders in the paint to prevent us from working the ball inside to Renz. We attacked the zone well, and moved the ball around until we found an open look.”
Reserve guard Lacey Acker scored a game-high 21 points in the loss for the Zias by making seven of her nine three point shots. Freshman guard Tori Northcutt also had a strong game for ENMU, tallying 12 points and six assists.
With their fourth straight win on their home court, the Pioneers improved their record to 10-14 overall, 5-6 in Lone Star Conference South Division play. ENMU falls to 4-20 and 1-10 in the LSC South with the defeat.
TWU will be back in action this weekend with a road game on Saturday, February 23, at 2:00 p.m. in Kingsville, Texas against the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas.
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