BOX SCORE AUSTIN, Texas – Madi Maxwell scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half, Natalie Velardez posted a double-double and the Concordia Texas women's basketball team opened the season in the win column, defeating Southwestern 55-44 on Friday.

The Tornados, who had 11 returners back with the program this season, used a second half offensive surge and locked down the Pirates on defense to come-from-behind, recording a season-opening victory for the second year in a row.

Despite having shooting struggles from the floor, CTX made it count at the free-throw line, finishing the night 15-of-19, including a 7-of-8 performance from Maxwell.

Velardez, meanwhile, grabbed seven offensive rebounds and had a game-high total of 13 for the game as well as a 10-point output, finishing with her first double-double since Jan. 30, 2019 against McMurry.

Newcomer Erin Toro made an impact for the Tornados as well, shooting 5-of-10 from the field, producing 10 points along with four rebounds.

Concordia Texas had a slow start in the first half and were outscored in the second quarter 19-11. The Tornados headed to the locker room trailing the Pirates 26-20 despite Allie Garza's seven points.

In the third quarter, after falling behind by as much as seven, CTX found their groove and went on a 13-2 run, capped off by an Amari Grace layup with under a minute left in the period.

Toro had six points in the period, while Velardez had five points as the Tornados outscored SU 18-9 in the quarter to retake the lead for good.

Concordia Texas put the Pirates away in the final frame, holding them to nine points once again, while offensively, Maxwell had 10 of the team's 17 points in the quarter as the Tornados rolled to a 55-44 win to open the season.

Concordia Texas will have a quick turnaround and a rematch against Southwestern on Tuesday, at 5:30 p.m. inside Robertson Gymnasium in Georgetown, Texas.