SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State women's basketball team put the defensive clamps on in the second half holding Texas Wesleyan to just 20 points in a 78-53 win on Wednesday at Stephens Arena in the Junell Center.  

The Belles are now 4-1 on the season for the first time since 2010-11 and have scored over 75 points in every game this season. Texas Wesleyan (3-4) only scored six points in the fourth quarter. The Lady Rams committed 18 turnovers and Angelo State was able to score 24 points including 19 points in the second half off the turnovers. ASU hit 35.3-percent from the field and sunk a season high 11 three pointers on the night. The Belles also won the rebounding battle 49-34.

Four Belles scored in double figures with Christina Robinson, Brea Mitchell and Lexi Murphy scoring 11 and Jasmine Prophet added 10 points. Murphy's 11 points are a season high for the junior. Taylor Dorsey and Kiahna Thompson both tallied nine points. The ASU bench outscored Texas Wesleyan 34-5 during the game. A total of 12 Belles grabbed a rebound with Prophet, Robinson and Mitchell grabbing a team high six. 

"The second half I felt like we played more like us," ASU head women's basketball coach Kevin Baker said. "We guarded with more energy and we rebounded the ball better. We challenged the team at halftime to not play better basketball but to play with a better defensive sense of urgency. I thought we did a better job of that in the second half and we got better results."  

Tied at 33 after the first half, the Belles came out with a defensive focus in the second half. Texas Wesleyan was held to just 23.1-percent in the second half. Mitchell opened up the second half with consecutive 3-pointers that sparked a 13-4 run to make it 46-37. Robinson would hit four straight free throws and Murphy scored five points in the final 6:31 to give the Belles a 58-47 lead going in the final quarter.

The defensive pressure continued in the fourth quarter. Two Lady Ram turnovers turned into five straight points by Dorsey. The junior hit a jumper after a steal by Prophet and moment later drained a 3-pointer after an offensive rebound from Murphy. The Belles used an 11-2 run to extend the lead to 69-49 with just under four minutes to play. ASU ended the game on a 9-4 run for the final of 78-53.

ASU found itself down 8-5 through the first four minutes in the first quarter. Rivera hit a jumper and was fouled. The senior knocked down the free throw to tie the game at eight. The Belles came alive over the final 5:07 and went on a 14-3 run to go up 22-11. Thompson and Murphy hit back-to-back threes during the run to extend the lead.

The roles were reversed in the second quarter. The Belles held a 32-19 advantage but would only score one point over the final 5:26. Texas Wesleyan ended the first half on a 14-1 to tie the game at 33 at the break.

The Lady Rams hit 46.7-percent from the field compared to 33.3-percent for the Belles.

ASU will hit the road to face St. Edward's on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. in Austin. 

ASU Women's Basketball vs Texas Wesleyan 2Dec15 - Images by Angelo State University