MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon women's basketball team showcased their stout defense Friday afternoon in a non-conference matchup with Texas A&M International, but fell 51-42 to Dust Devils in their first-ever meeting at NPE Gym.

Texas A&M International (4-3) started the afternoon with a flurry of 3-point shooting, hitting their first three tries from deep and taking their first five shots of the game from beyond the arc. Patrycja Jaworska hit two of those 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 11 points in the first half. She finished the day with 16 points, five steals, two rebounds and two assists to lead the Dust Devils.

Western Oregon (2-3) responded with a 13-4 run after TAMIU's quick start to bounce back from a five-point deficit and lead 20-13 early on in the second quarter. That lead wouldn't hold, however. The Dust Devils had a 17-0 run that lasted most of the second quarter, a period that would prove the downfall of Western on Friday.

Cali McClave was the only Western player to score in the second quarter, going for all eight of her points in the game on 3-of-4 shooting including two made 3-pointers. WOU was out-scored 22-8 in the quarter, shooting 25 percent from the field opposed to the 53.8 percent field goal shooting of TAMIU. It was the only quarter the Dust Devils would out-score them in the game.

Keyonna Jones had a team-high 15 points for the Wolves, pulling in three rebounds and a steal in her 25 minutes. She was the only WOU player to finish in double figures in scoring.
Trailing by 11 at the half, Western Oregon out-scored TAMIU 20-18 in a low-scoring second half, but could not overcome the deficit at the break.

"We put a ton of pressure on our defense tonight by only scoring 42 points," said Western Oregon head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter. "It will be tough to win games if we can't consistently score in the 50's."

The Wolves' defense had a solid night, keeping the Dust Devils to a 32.7 percent field goal shooting mark and 28.1 percent from three while also forcing 16 turnovers. McClave and Tresai McCarver each had three steals as a part of the 10 total swiped by WOU. Amber Winkler sent back four blocks which ties for the most by a GNAC school in a single game so far this season.

After trailing by as many as 13, the Wolves were able to pull within seven at 49-42 late in the fourth quarter, holding possession with a chance to make it a two-score game. That is as close as WOU would be in the second half, however, letting the rally fall short.

In their last two contests, WOU has been held to 46 or fewer points, committed at least 19 turnovers, but out-shot opponents in either field goal or 3-point shooting.

"I thought we took care of the ball well in the first half, but our sense of urgency to meet shooters on the catch was non-existent and that got us in a hole at the break," added Howard-Carpenter. We battled in the second half, but had too many turnovers and some really costly ones that killed our run in the fourth."

Next up, the Wolves continue their weekend by hosting Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday, Nov. 30. Tipoff in the first-ever meeting between the Wolves and Mustangs is set for 2 p.m. PST at NPE Gym.