HOUSTON, Texas -- The LeTourneau women's basketball team opened the 2024-25 campaign with an 83-59 loss at St. Thomas on Saturday afternoon at the Jerabeck Activity Center.

Mariana Espinosa scored a team-high 15 points to lead LeTourneau (0-1), while Future Asevedo had a career-high 13 points in the loss.

LeTourneau shot 47.6 percent in the first half and led by as many as five early on. Espinosa hit two 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the game, including on that put the YellowJackets up 10-5 with 5:17 left in the period.

St. Thomas (1-0) answered back and took the lead for good later in the first, but a Makenzie Covey jumper at the buzzer got LeTourneau within one at 21-20. 

The host Celts pulled away in the second quarter as they outscored LeTourneau 29-10 in the period to grab a 50-30 lead at halftime. The deficit never got below double-digits for the YellowJackets the rest of the way.

Espinosa added two rebounds and went 6-for-8 at the foul line on the day. Asevedo went 5-of-8 from the field with two rebounds. Kylie Weeks added nine points with seven rebounds and LaTerra Satcher registered eight points and six rebounds. Sara Savage dished out three assists as LeTourneau had nine in the game.

The YellowJackets shot 22-of-36 from the free throw line and 16-of-52 (30.8 percent) from the field.

Joerdan Thomas had 18 points and Macie Whitfield added 16 points and nine rebounds to lead St. Thomas. The Celts connected on 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the floor with nine 3-pointers and went 16-of-20 at the foul line.

UP NEXT

LeTourneau faces East Texas A&M (formerly Texas A&M-Commerce) in an exhibition on Tuesday (6:30 p.m.).

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