GEORGETOWN, Texas — The Southwestern women's basketball team took an early eight-point lead against Texas Lutheran but collapsed under the weight of turnovers and offensive rebounds in a 60-43 loss to the Bulldogs. 

Southwestern opened with the same inside-out balance the Pirates have utilized in their three-game winning streak. Princess Roberts scored the game's first basket inside, Ellie Ward got to the free-throw line, and Lauren Fulenwider and Taylor Carney drained a pair of 3-pointers for a 10-2 lead in the first three minutes of the game. 

A few minutes later, Reece Sandercock scored on an offensive rebound to give Southwestern a 17-9 lead with 2:43 remaining in the first quarter. However, Texas Lutheran responded with a 10-0 run over the final two minutes, forcing four consecutive Southwestern turnovers to end the first quarter taking a 19-17 lead over the Pirates. 

In the second quarter, turnovers continued to plague the Pirates, committing nine to offset a stellar defensive performance in holding Texas Lutheran to 4-for-21 shooting, trailing 29-28 at the half. 

The wheels fell off for the Southwestern offense in the second half. Texas Lutheran played with an intensity Southwestern couldn't match, playing pressure man-to-man defense the length of the floor with the occasional trap. 

Southwestern's turnover problems were compounded by surrendering 20 offensive rebounds, failing to box out a Texas Lutheran team that crashed the glass in waves. In all, Texas Lutheran buried Southwestern with a 71-42 advantage in shot attempts, forcing 26 turnovers to outscore the Pirates 30-0 in points off turnovers. 

Roberts led Southwestern with 15 points and seven rebounds, shooting 7-for-10 from the free-throw line. Fulenwider added nine points, shooting 3-for-8 from the 3-point line. No other Pirate scored more than five points. 

Jayla Santa Maria led a balanced Texas Lutheran attack with 13 points, adding seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Morgan Rodriguez added 11 points off the bench. All five Texas Lutheran starters scored at least five points. 

Southwestern drops to 8-7 with a 4-3 conference record. The Pirates will host the University of Dallas on Saturday, Jan. 22, at 6:00 p.m.