AUSTIN, Texas - The Southwestern University women's basketball team overcame an 18 point first half and a 12 point deficit as they scored 37 second half points en route to their first win of the season over Concordia Texas, 55-50, on Tuesday evening at the Concordia Fieldhouse.
The Pirates were 15 of 50 from the field (30%) and 2 of 6 from deep (33%), getting to the free throw line 37 times and making 23 (62%). Southwestern was excellent in the second half, shooting 9 of 22 (41%) to storm back.
The Tornados went 20 of 62 from the field (32%) and 6 of 26 (23%) from deep. Concordia was only able to get to the line 10 times as the Pirates dominated the boards, 52-35. The Pirates turned the ball over 22 times, but were able to force 18 turnovers on the defensive end.
It was a brutal start for the Pirates as they were outclassed in the first quarter with Concordia racing out to a 17-5 lead after one. Southwestern only made two field goals in the quarter. However, things settled in and the Pirates began to assert their dominance, especially in the paint, as they outscored CTX 13-5 in the second quarter to close the gap to three, 21-18, going into the break.
The Pirates inched closer to the Tornados in the third quarter, but CTX was able to maintain their lead until late in the quarter as teh Pirates finally broke through and took their first lead of the game at 31-29 with 1:49 remaining. The Pirates took a 33-31 lead into the fourth.
It was a lead they would not surrender as they used a combination of great defense and strong play in the post, building their lead to as many as seven with under four minutes to play in the game. The final minutes turned into a free throw game for Southwestern, as they were able to close out and win on the road.
For Head Coach Greta Grothe, it is her first career win as the head coach of the Pirates.
Senior Madison Edwards finished with 12 points on 3 of 5 shooting including a pair of 3s, six rebounds, and two assists in the win while sophomore Zhazze Brown came off the bench and scored 12 on 3 of 6 shooting including six points at the charity stripe as well as two steals. Junior Tori Carraway scored eight and pulled down 11 rebounds while freshman Noel Pratts scored seven.
Payton Berger scored 13 points off the bench to lead CTX in scoring while Jaela Dejean added 10 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Southwestern moves to 1-2 overall and will turn right around and play the Tornados again on Saturday, this time in Georgetown for the Pirates home opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 PM from the Robertson Center.
