STRONG SECOND HALF LIFTS BUFFS OVER LIONS
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&M-Commerce (5-8 (3-5 LSC)) | 30 | 21 | 51 |
| West Texas A&M (8-9 (4-4 LSC)) | 36 | 36 | 72 |
| Canyon, TX | |||
| A&M-Commerce | West Texas A&M |
|---|---|
| Pts: Breanna Harris - 21 | Pts: GRIFFIN, Devin - 22 |
| Reb: La'Tisha Hearne - 8 | Reb: WILLIAMS, Brittany - 11 |
| Ast: 2 Players (#03, #24 - 6) | Ast: GERALD, Raven - 8 |
| Team Statistics | A&M-Commerce | West Texas A&M |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 37.3% (22-59 ) | 49.1% (27-55 ) |
| Rebounds | 34 | 33 |
| Assists | 19 | 24 |
| Turnovers | 13 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 10 | 13 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 13 | 10 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 24 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 9 | 10 |
West Texas 72, A&M-Commerce 51
Location: First United Bank Center: Canyon, Texas
Records: West Texas (8-9, 4-4 LSC); A&M-Commerce (5-8, 3-5 LSC)
Up Next: vs. Eastern New Mexico - Saturday Jan. 19 2:00 p.m. - The Field House
Canyon, Texas - A&M-Commerce trailed by only six at the half but the Lady buffs pulled away in the second half, out scoring the Lions 36-21 in the second half. The loss drops the Lions to 5-8 and 3-5 in LSC play. The win by West Texas A&M improves the Buffs to 8-9 and 4-4 in LSC play.
Breanna Harris led the way for the Lions with 21 points and 6 rebounds. The 21 point performance marks the 10th time this season that Harris has scored in double figures. La'Tisha Hearne was also in double figures for the Lions scoring 12 and grabbing eight rebounds.
The Lion offense started off great in the first half hitting seven of their first 11 shots from the field but cooled off for the remain first half and all of the second half. Unfortunately the A&M-Commerce struggles from the free throw line and from behind the stripe reared its head again. The Lions were just 1-9 from 3-point range and 6-13 from the free throw line compared to 7-15 and 11-11 for the Lady Buffs respectively.
The Lion held a one point lead at 18-17 with 11:16 left in the first half but were unable to get the lead back and saw West Texas slowly stretch their lead to six at the break by the score of 36-30. Harris scored 11 of her 21 in the opening 20 minutes. Hearne added seven and Kourtney Briscoe added five points and four assists with just one turnover in the first half. Sophomore guard Michelle Sutton also dished out four assists with no turnovers.
For West Texas, Devin Griffin had a game high 12 in the first half. Also scoring in double figures was Casey Land with 10 points while connecting on two threes in the first half. Raven Gerald added seven points to go along with four assists. Griffin was on her way to a 22 point effort. Land was not far behind with 21 herself including 5-7 on three point field goals and Gerald finished with eight assists and seven points.
A Harris lay-up at the 18:01 mark of the second half got the Lions within two at 36-34; but that was as close as A&M-Commerce would get. The Lady Buffs prevented any sort of late comeback by the Lions by closing the game on a 10-0 run over the final 3:34 to close out a 72-51 victory.
Up next for the Lions is a home game with the Zias of Eastern New Mexico on Saturday, January 19 at the Field House. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. as part of the Gold Out double header with the men taking on Eastern following the women's game.
