Houston, Texas - The University of St. Thomas Women's basketball team tipped off their season with a commanding 83-59 victory over the LeTourneau Yellowjackets, starting their season with a win for the first time since the 2019-20 basketball season. They did so in front of the largest Homecoming crowd to date.

The Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center was rocking from the start, and the Celts gave the crowd something to cheer for throughout the game. Letourneau looked like they would give the home team a fight, trailing by one - 21-20 at the end of the first quarter. St. Thomas shook off the pesky Yellowjackets, the first-game jitters, and hit their stride by the second quarter. A layup from Macie Whitfield, who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, and a three-pointer from Joerdan Thomas, who scored a game-high 18 points, fueled a major scoring run that extended the lead. By halftime, the Celts had surged ahead to a 50-30 advantage.

St. Thomas maintained control throughout the second half, with Audrey Hernandez adding 11 points off the bench, Kareena Aragon contributing 9 points along with four assists, and Branasia Brazelton making an impact with six points and four rebounds. Defensively, UST sustained its tough defense throughout the entire 40 minutes. Their efforts were key as the Celts tallied 15 steals and forced 21 turnovers. St. Thomas held Letourneau to just 46 points by the end of the third quarter and 59 for the game.

The Celts scored 83 points, more than they scored in any game in the 2023-24 season. Freshman Joerdan Thomas led all scorers with 18 points. Junior Laura Jones returned after sitting out almost all of the 23-24 season with injuries to contribute 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Up Next

The Celts have a week to prepare and build on the momentum before traveling to Brownwood, TX, to play Howard Payne University on November 14th at 5 PM. For more updates, visit USTCelts.com or follow @ustwbasketball on Instagram.