IRVING, Texas -- The LeTourneau women's basketball team shot a season-high 45.6 percent from the field and never trailed en route to a 73-64 victory at Dallas inside the Maher Athletic Center on Saturday in Irving.

Mariana Espinosa led LeTourneau (1-5) with a career-high 26 points, while Kylie Weeks and Future Asevedo had nine points each in the victory. The YellowJackets shot 45.6 percent (25-of-56) from the floor with nine 3-pointers and went 14-of-19 at the free-throw line.

LeTourneau never trailed in the contest as an Asevedo triple on the first possession of the game gave the YellowJackets a 3-0 lead. The margin ballooned to 13 (15-2) after a Weeks 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the opening period and LeTourneau took a 16-10 lead entering the second.

The lead stretched back to double-digits during the second quarter and LeTourneau went into halftime with a 35-26 lead.

After Dallas (0-3) briefly cut the margin to six early in the third quarter, the YellowJackets used an 8-0 run to gain a 14-point lead at 43-29. Asevedo and Espinosa hit 3-pointers during the run sandwiched around a bucket from Makenzie Covey.

LeTourneau had its biggest lead of the day at 15 (50-35) after a Covey basket with 55 seconds left in the third.

Dallas made one last run in the fourth as the Crusaders got within five with under two minutes left. A Brooklyn Iman basket followed by a 3-pointer from Espinosa on the next possession stretched the lead back to 10 and the YellowJackets sealed the win.

It was the second 20-point effort from Espinosa this week as she added two rebounds and two assists. The sophomore hit 8-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the 3-point line.

Weeks added a team-high four assists for LeTourneau. LaTerra Satcher, Iman, and Gracie Hunter had seven points each. Covey had six points and four rebounds, while Sara Savage also collected four boards. 

LeTourneau turned the ball over just 13 times in the win and scored 11 points off nine Dallas giveaways.

Adryan Alvarez had 18 points and Aaliyah Jones added 13 points and nine rebounds for Dallas in the loss. Dallas connected on 38.2 percent (21-of-55) from the field.

UP NEXT

LeTourneau travels to Southwestern on Wednesday (3 p.m.).

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