AUSTIN (Interstat) — Neela Castillo scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Southwestern (Tex.) used a decisive fourth-quarter surge to beat Concordia (Tex.) 70-55 in a women’s NCAA Division III game at Concordia Fieldhouse. Attendance was 230. The Pirates improved to 2-0 with the road win on Sunday, while the Tornados fell to 0-2. Southwestern trailed early but took control after halftime and pulled away down the stretch.

Southwestern shot 18 of 46 from the floor, 5 of 13 from 3-point range and 29 of 39 from the free-throw line. Concordia was 19 of 55 from the floor, 4 of 19 from beyond the arc and 13 of 21 from the line. The Pirates finished with 12 assists and 11 offensive rebounds to Concordia’s five assists and nine offensive rebounds. Each team had two blocks, and Southwestern committed 17 turnovers to Concordia’s 18. Concordia held a 30-22 edge in points in the paint, while Southwestern scored 19 points off turnovers to Concordia’s 16. Southwestern scored 70 points on 71 possessions for an offensive rating of 99.3, while Concordia scored 55 on 74 possessions for a 74.3 rating.

Concordia started quickly behind Katelyn Tietjen and Briann Warehime. Tietjen made a 3-pointer and free throw, and Warehime added a layup and free throw as the Tornados built an early 13-5 lead. Southwestern answered with Brooke Smith’s 3-pointer and Trinity Benitez’s jump shot and two free throws. The Pirates kept pace with Kylee Symons and Castillo, who made a 3-pointer and two free throws in the second quarter. Emma Flores’ free throws helped Southwestern pull even before halftime. Tietjen’s 3-pointer late in the second quarter gave Concordia momentum, but Southwestern stayed within striking distance and then took over after the break.

The game turned in the fourth. With Southwestern leading 43-42 after Macie Upshaw’s layup, the Pirates went on an 18-2 run. Castillo made a layup and free throw, Benitez added a layup, Symons converted four free throws, Flores made two free throws and Castillo capped the burst with a 3-pointer that made it 61-44 with 4:14 remaining. Concordia tried to rally as Warehime made a layup and Tietjen hit a 3-pointer and free throw, but Southwestern answered at the line. Flores made two free throws with 20 seconds left, and the Pirates held on.

Castillo led all scorers with 26 points and eight rebounds. Flores added 10 points, two rebounds, four assists and one block, while Symons had 13 points and five rebounds. For Concordia, Tietjen scored 16 points with one rebound and one assist. Upshaw added nine points, six rebounds and one assist, and Wheaton had 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and one block. Smith scored nine points with three rebounds for Southwestern, Warehime had 13 points, two rebounds and one assist for Concordia, Benitez added six points, one rebound and one assist, and Kellam finished with three points, six rebounds and one assist. Castillo played 33 minutes, Flores 34 and Symons 29 for Southwestern. Tietjen played 31 minutes, Upshaw 24 and Wheaton 27 for Concordia. Smith played 10 minutes, Benitez 14 and Kellam 17 for the Pirates.

Southwestern’s free-throw shooting and fourth-quarter run made the difference. The Pirates made 29 free throws to Concordia’s 13 and overcame Concordia’s 30-22 advantage in paint points. Southwestern also finished with more assists and fewer turnovers. Concordia got 13 points from Warehime and 11 from Wheaton but could not close the gap after Southwestern’s decisive run.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Southwestern (Tex.) 56, Concordia (Tex.) 54, and its ELO system gave Concordia (Tex.) a 55.6 percent probability to win.