SEGUIN, Texas -- #RV Texas Lutheran women's basketball (5-4) claimed victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor (4-6) as a second half surge carried the Bulldogs to a comfortable 68-52 win Wednesday night at Memorial Gymnasium.

The 52 points are the second fewest points the Crusaders have scored this season. The win is just the second for the Bulldogs against UMHB in the last decade as the two teams have split the season series the past two seasons.

Senior Lauren Sansano (San Antonio/FEAST) led the way for TLU, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Redshirt junior Davi'Yanna Jones (San Antonio/Stevens) (12 points, 4-for-6 FG) and sophomore Zaria Solis (Burnet/Burnet) (11 points, 4-for-6 FG) joined Sansano in double figures.

While the Bulldogs held just a 39-38 advantage over the Cru in rebounds, TLU forced 22 UMHB turnovers that led to 22 points to their 14 turnovers. The Bulldogs took advantage of their opportunities at the free throw line, shooting 85.7 percent (18-of-21) as a team Friday night.

Both teams struggled mightily out of the gate offensively as the two teams combined to shoot just 22.6 percent from the field. The teams finished the period tied at 12 with five points from Sansano leading the way.

The Crusaders found an offensive rhythm in the second quarter while the Bulldogs continued to struggle from the field. TLU was able to overcome their offensive struggles by shooting 7-of-9 from the free throw line to outscore the Crusaders 18-15 to take a three point, 30-27 lead into halftime.

The Bulldogs limited the Crusaders to eight points in the third quarter, stretching their lead to as many as 11 points.

Back-to-back threes from Noelani Ajel (Cibolo/Steele) and Davi'Yanna Jones set the tone for the Bulldogs to close strong in the fourth as TLU had their best offensive performance of the night in the fourth, shooting 53.3 percent from the field. Jones took over in the fourth scoring ten of her 12 points in the final quarter. The Bulldogs coasted through the fourth, leading by double digits throughout, with the lead stretching to as many as 16 points.

Texas Lutheran concluded its non-conference slate on Friday and will now turn its attention to SCAC play as they travel to Austin for the conference opener against Concordia (TX) on Friday, December 19. Tip-off is set for 1 PM. The game will be streamed on FloCollege. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.

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