DENTON, Texas  Though they warmed up in the second half of their season opener Friday evening, Western Colorado University's women's basketball team was unable to overcome a cold start, falling to host Texas Women's University, 58-42, in a non-conference battle at TWU's 2021 Tournament Challenge.

Emmery Wagstaff and Ky Buell led the Mountaineers in scoring with 12 points apiece, tying for game-high honors, but Western's 12 percent effort from the floor over the first 20 minutes of action left a 14-point halftime deficit it was unable to erase.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Texas Women's def. Western Colorado, 58-42
Records: Western Colorado 0-1, Texas Women's 1-0
Location: Kitty Magee Arena; Denton, Texas

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Western played nearly even with the Pioneers over the third and fourth quarters, pouring in more than three times as many points over the final 20 minutes (32) as it did in the first half (10). TWU, meanwhile, outscored the Mountaineers by just two points in the second half.
• Neither team lit it up at the game's beginning. It took a minute and a half for the first basket to fall through the rim, and halfway through the opening 10 minutes the score was only 8-3 in TWU's favor.
• Both teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes after that, and the opening frame ended with the Pioneers leading 13-6.
• The second quarter saw even fewer points, a total of just 15, but Western got only a free throw from Natalie Jojola and a 3-pointer by Ky Buell.
• Western bounced back, though, coming out of the break. Wagstaff scored eight points and Samantha Coleman chimed in with six to heat things up for the Mountaineer attack.
• And in the fourth quarter, Buell's seven points tied for the most of all players in the final 10 minutes. Rachel Cockman came to life as well, scoring five points for Western during it's come-back attempt.

STATS AND STUFF

• By the end of the game, Western had elevated it 12% shooting from the first half to a commendable24% overall, hitting for 34% over the final 20 minutes.
• The Pioneers had the advantage on the boards, pulling down 42 rebounds to the 33 Western ripped away. Buell led the Pioneers on the glass with six rebounds.
• TWU's advantage off the rim allowed for 15 second-chance points (Western scored 9), and the Pioneers finished with a 20-6 advantage in the paint.
• Western's bench was ready to go, scoring 23 of the team's 42 points on the night.

NEXT UP

• Western takes on Angelo State (Texas) University Saturday at 1 p.m. MST.
• TWU will play Metropolitan State University Denver in the Conference Challenge closer Saturday at 5 p.m. MST.