ODESSA, Texas – Avalon Munoz was on a mission to help her UT Permian Basin women's basketball teammates earn a victory over Midwestern State and after a career-best 31-point performance with a final score of 80-70, Munoz's mission was completed.

Munoz, a 5-foot-5 sophomore guard from San Antonio, had a previous career-best total of 20 points on Feb. 5, 2022 at Western New Mexico.

This afternoon though, Munoz was going to make sure she did everything she could to guarantee the win and the stats prove she did as she added eight assists, six steals and five rebounds to her 31 points, which were earned by shooting 8-for-19 from the field, 1-for-2 from beyond the arc and astounding 14-for-16 from the free throw line.
Munoz wasn't the only Falcon that have an outstanding performance as Holly Hemmeline chipped in 17 points while Alexus Quaadman added a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

The defense of UTPB (8-9, 5-6 Lone Star) gave Midwestern State fits all game and forced the Mustangs to commit a staggering 27 turnovers to which the Falcons turned into 30 points.  The Mustangs (4-13, 2-9 Lone Star) dropped to last place in the Lone Star Conference West Division with the loss and now stand with a 1-6 divisional record.

MSU answered with a 13-5 run of its own to claim a 19-17 lead with 2:46 left in the first quarter before going on to extend the lead out to 23-19 at the end of the period.

The second quarter, however, would be where the Falcons would take a lead that they would not relinquish.

UTPB's defense held MSU to just three made shots throughout the second quarter for eight points, which was the same Munoz had in the period alone as the Falcons took a 40-31 lead into the halftime break.

A 22-3 run from the 7:21 mark in the second quarter all the way to the 8:56 mark in the third quarter along with an 11-1 run from 3:03 to 0:43 left in the third would prove to be too much for the Mustangs to overcome.

The fourth quarter was a see-saw affair, but the outcome was never in doubt as Munoz and her teammates knocked down 7-for-10 from the free throw line to ensure the 80-70 victory.
 
UP NEXT
UTPB will make the trek to Austin next weekend where they will take on St. Edwards on Thursday, Jan. 19, with the tipoff slated for 5:30 p.m. CST.  Download the UTPB Athletics App to follow the team all season long.