GEORGETOWN, Texas — Southwestern women's basketball got exemplary performances from its two freshman starters and a strong team defensive performance to defeat the University of Dallas Crusaders 64-58. 

Freshman forward Ellie Ward and forward Jada Hollie combined for 36 points on 15-for-23 shooting as two of three Pirates to reach double figures. 

Hollie set the tone with a flawless shooting first quarter, mixing in drives and pull-up jumpers for eight points to hit all four shot attempts to lead the Pirates to an early 18-12 lead. However, Dallas cut into their deficit with a 12-10 second quarter, forcing six turnovers with four steals to pull to within 28-24 at the half. 

Southwestern utilized a balanced attack to open the third quarter, jumping to an early 12-point lead. Dallas battled back with eight points from Canai McPherson and seven off the bench from Adryan Alvarez in the highest-scoring quarter of the game. Southwestern outscored Dallas 23-22, getting six points each from Hollie and Taylor Carney. 

In the fourth quarter, both teams exchanged baskets, with Hollie and Ward combining for 11 points to hold off Dallas. Ward was a perfect 3-for-3 in the fourth quarter, continuing a season-long trend of clutch play. 

Hollie finished with 21 points to match her career-high with a more efficient shooting performance, hitting 8-for-13 from the field (61.5 percent) and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. Ward contributed 15 points and eight rebounds, shooting a sizzling 7-for-10 from the field. Carney added 11 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. She was also stellar defensively with two blocks and two steals. Reece Sandercock anchored the defense off the bench with eight rebounds and six blocks. 

Southwestern improves to 9-9 with a 5-5 conference record. This weekend, the Pirates will hit the road for away games at Colorado College and St. Thomas.