COMMERCE – This wasn't the way it was drawn up. The results? Right on par with what head coach Jason Burton had envisioned. The way they got there? Not even close to the plan. Yet the women's basketball team at Texas A&M University-Commerce has found a way to overcome two season-ending injuries to starters and post a record of 10-4, which ties the best start to a season in program history.
 
"I think we have a special team," Burton said. "We have had so much adversity happen to us this year, with injuries and different things. People continue to step up and play and not let things like that affect them. To still be as resilient as we have been, that's something to be proud of."
 
Burton and his players had tackled tough tasks before. Arriving in 2014, Burton took over a program that went just 26-106 in its previous five seasons. In his first 71 games at the helm, the Lions are 40-31, by far the most wins by a coach in their first two-plus seasons.
 
"The program was going through a lot of bad seasons, not winning much at all," said junior Artaejah Gay, the leading scorer for the Lions this season. "For [coach Burton] to come in and for him to bring us in and really change the program and turn the program around, it means a lot. It means a lot to start the season like this."
 
The Lions could have crumbled. Instead, they are withstanding. 

Things haven't been easy this year. That might be the understatement of the year. The Lions entered the refiner's fire in their game against Ouachita Baptist, the day Princess Davis was lost for the season due to injury. Would they fold, having lost arguably their best player, the person who ran the offense? Or would they continue on, keep fighting and rise to the occasion?
 
Senior Khala Riley has answered that call. She has been asked to become the leading point guard on the team, playing more minutes than any other player. Her play is at an "MVP type level," if you ask her coach. The resolve of the team has trickled down from its senior leader.
 
"I feel like we just keep fighting, regardless of the situation," Riley said. "We have a lot of players who are willing to step up and take on roles. At the end of the day, we are going to keep going no matter what."
 
"We've never had an easy season, where everything went smooth," Gay said. "When we hit adversity, we know we have to stick together and keep going hard. We have to keep our minds on our goals and the things we are trying to accomplish. We can't just bow down and let people run over us. We have to keep going."
   
"I feel like we have a team mentality," Riley said. "We believe in each other and we trust in each other, which it big for us. We share the ball well. We just push each other. It's not just one person. It's everybody who is contributing to the wins. That's nice to see."
 
In each of those trying moments, A&M-Commerce responded with strength and resiliency. The Lions rallied to force overtime and win against Southeastern. They outscored Cameron by 17 in the second half to win. They went on a 31-6 run to defeat Midwestern. And they went on a 24-6 run in the fourth quarter to knock off Tarleton. Some minor stumbles came against Eastern New Mexico and Angelo State, but even in their losses, the Lions have been hardened and sharpened for the future.
 
Burton said the team formed an early bond off the court, stronger than any team he has previously coached. That strong bond has kept his team together through the tough times.
 
"We always like to make sure that we are more like a family instead of just a team," Gay said. "When we are like that off the court, it's easier on the court to mesh and have chemistry. We trust in our teammates. I think since the beginning, everybody had a different mindset of what we wanted to do this year. There is a level of respect that's different as well."
 
The Lions are at the midpoint of their season– 14 games down with 14 to go. While they are proud of being a part of team history, they have loftier goals in mind than just the best start. They hope for a strong finish.
 
"A 10-4 start is nothing if we don't finish out the second half of the season 10-4," Burton said. "That's a great start but we've got to play our best basketball going into March. The rest of January and February are big months for us. The good thing is, we are starting to learn what it takes to win consistently in the conference. We need to continue to play well, especially with a long stretch of home games coming up."
 
There are plenty of "tings" left before the 2016-17 season gets put into the books. The Lions have withstood some adversity so far, with more undoubtedly still to come. But the team has come this far, and they are confident in their abilities going forward.
 
"Of course we envision our season ending with a conference championship and us going to the NCAA tournament," Gay said. "We are working towards that everyday. We don't plan on all of this being just talk. We want to make it happen."
 
Beginning Saturday, the Lions continue their push to make it happen. They will continue to be pounded, sharpened, hardened and put under heat. The question remains, can they keep it up?

Stay tuned Lion fans. You won't want to miss the end of this one, no matter what end it is.