LAREDO, TEXAS – A&M-Commerce women's basketball (2-1) is making its way to the border, as they look off to knock off the undefeated Texas A&M-International Dustdevils (3-0) in Laredo.
 
The Lions will look to throw a wrench in the plans of Dustdevils head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson, whose squad received seven votes in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll after a 19-9 2013-2014 season. A win against such a successful opponent would be a significant measuring stick for the Lions in their young season.
 
Tuesday will mark just the third time in history that the Lions and Dustdevils have faced off, as the schools have split their previous two games dating back to 2009. The Lions won their first matchup in a neutral site contest in Kingsville by a score of 63-55. Last season, TAMIU evened the score with a narrow 81-79 win in the Field House thanks to a 23-12 performance by Dustdevil forward Malika Jackson, who this season serves A&M-International as an assistant coach. Now the matchup makes its way to Laredo for the first time, as both teams look to take home the victory in the rubber match.
 
The Dustdevils enter Tuesday's contest on a three-game winning-streak to start their season. Two of their wins came both home and away against the A&M-Kingsville Javelinas, with their third coming in a dominant 93-68 victory over Huston-Tillotson. In their most recent game, a 62-47 win in Kingsville, senior forward Jessica Woo led the way for A&M-International with 9 points, 11 boards, a block and three steals.
 
Woo has been the key-contributor for the Dustdevils thus far in 2014, averaging a double-double at 15 points and 11 boards to go along with over a steal per game. Opposite from her will be Lions forward La'Tisha Hearne. The senior out of Richardson, Texas has averaged a double-double of her own this season, with 18 points, 10.7 rebounds, one steal and one block per game. The matchup between Woo and Hearne will be pivotal in determining the outcome.
 
In addition to Woo, the Dustdevils have three players who average at least ten points and six rebounds in Jessica Prieto, Alexis Thomas and Keiona Mathews. Outside of Hearne, the Lions have nobody who fits that description, the closest being reserve forward Abigail Leaupepe-Tele and her eight-point, 6.7 rebound average. Also a looking to be a factor will be junior center Kiana Evans, who had the best game of her season last Saturday against Ouachita Baptist with 11 points, nine boards and four steals. Prieto in particular represents a formidable challenge for A&M-Commerce, due to her nearly averaging seven assists per game. It will be key for the Lions to keep her in check and keep the rebounding battle close on Tuesday.
 
A&M-Commerce will hope to make use of their backcourt's ability to disrupt passing lanes, as starting guards Ashlee Johnson and Princess Davis have combined for 15 steals on the season, averaging five per game. Outside of the steals department, Johnson has been the main distributor for the Lions with 4.7 assists per game, while Davis has been an offensive spark plug, averaging 14.7 points per game on an impressive 50 percent from the field.
 
Tipoff is scheduled for Tuesday, November 25 at 7 p.m. in the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building. After that, the Lions will come home for Thanksgiving before hitting the road again, this time for Magnolia, Arkansas to take on the Southern Arkansas Muleriders.