Kingsville - The Texas A&M - Kingsville women's basketball team carries a four game win streak into a Thursday-night showdown with Texas Woman's - the number two-ranked team in the land.

The Pioneers have lost just one game all season and have won nine straight games entering Thursday's matchup. Kingsville, however, has momentum of its own, having won five of its last six games. The Javelinas are riding one of the best defenses in the country, holding opposing teams to the 14th-fewest points per game in the nation. They do that while allowing opponents to attempt the second-fewest field goals in the Lone Star Conference and the third-fewest free throws.

"The last couple weeks we've been playing really well as a team," Head Coach Michael Madrid said. "We've developed a really good chemistry, but obviously we want that to continue."

Defense hasn't been the only highly-ranked thing for Kingsville this year. Senior forward Janessa Payne shoots the eighth-best three-point percentage in the nation, while senior guard Abby Bala has the 41st-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation. The offense, for the large part, has come from everywhere for TAMUK, with six different Javelinas scoring in double figures across their last two games. No single Javelina ranks in the the top 20 in the LSC in scoring.

"It's just our selfless mentality," Madrid said. "We talk about it all the time - you never know whose night it's going to be, you've got to find the hot hand. Tonight may not be your night, but you can find other ways to contribute. We've been really fortunate the last couple days that we've had multiple players step up in big moments and knock down shots. I think it's just a representation of who our young ladies are."

Gritty defense and balanced scoring has allowed the team to galvanize after an injury and mid-season struggles. The squad is now a perfect 4-0 in the new year and 6-3 in conference play.

The Javelinas have a tough matchup on their hands, facing one of the few teams in the nation with a better scoring defense than them. The Pioneers have been holding opponents to 51.5 points per game, 2.2 fewer than the Javelinas. More than that, Madrid recognizes them as a team that won't beat itself.

"One thing about them, they won't beat themselves," Madrid said. "They're really solid offensively, they're really solid defensively, they're gonna make teams have to beat them."

Texas Woman's is led by the reigning LSC Player of the Year, forward Ashley Ingram. She averages 14.7 points, and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting the eighth-best percentage from the field in the LSC. While she has had an incredible career with the Pioneers, this season being no different, they are far from a one-woman show. Two other players, Scout Huffman and Leila Patel, also average more than 10 points per game. 

The Javelinas will have their work cut out for them as they look to hold on to their win streak, and snap the Pioneers' in the process. The game will tip off at 5:30 p.m. and will be the first of two home games for the team this weekend, with a Saturday afternoon bout against UT-Tyler on the docket as well.