ALEXANDRIA, La. -- The University of the Southwest women's basketball delivered one of its strongest offensive outings of the season on Thursday night, earning an 82–72 road victory over LSU Alexandria at The Fort. The Lady Mustangs improved to 6–11 on the year and 2–9 in conference play behind a sharp shooting performance that featured 14 made three‑pointers and a decisive third‑quarter surge.

Southwest opened the game with confidence, knocking down four threes in the first quarter to take a 22–17 lead. The Mustangs continued their hot shooting throughout the night, finishing 14–for‑31 from beyond the arc (45.2%) and 43.1% overall from the field.

Karinna Ortiz anchored the offensive attack with a game-high 24 points, going 6‑of‑11 from the floor and an impressive 11‑for‑12 at the free‑throw line. She added five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a complete performance. Off the bench, Michaela Ray provided a major spark with 19 points and eight rebounds in just 22 minutes, shooting 4‑of‑5 from three. Alliah Scallion added 12 points, all from beyond the arc, along with six rebounds and three assists.

Leading 38–35 at halftime, Southwest broke the game open in the third quarter, shooting 52.9% and outscoring the Generals 24–16 to build a double‑digit cushion. LSUA trimmed the deficit to five late in the fourth, but the Mustangs answered with a clutch corner three from Hazel Lord in the final minute and four straight free throws by Ortiz to secure the win.

Southwest capitalized on LSUA's miscues, scoring 32 points off turnovers while committing 19 of their own. The Mustangs' bench contributed 23 points, helping balance the offensive load on a night when the team shot 75% from the free‑throw line.

Southwest will head to Louisiana Christian as conference play continues on Saturday at 12 p.m. (MT)

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