COMMERCE, TEXAS – Following a gutsy overtime road win over TWU, Lion Women's Basketball (10-7; 4-3 in LSC) returns to their home court with the chance at revenge against team that knocked them out of last year's LSC Tournament, the Tarleton State TexAnns (11-5; 4-3 in LSC).
 
In 2013-14, the Lions closed out the regular season with the improbable 74-69 upset over TSU on the back of a La'Tisha Hearne double-double, securing a first round rematch with the TexAnns just four days later in the conference tournament in Allen, Texas. There, Tarleton State answered back with an 84-55 drubbing, leading to their eventual trip to the LSC Championship, where they'd fall short to WT.
 
Now in 2014-15, the two squads enter Saturday's action knotted up with matching 4-3 records in LSC-play. Regardless of what happens around the rest of the league, the winner would move up to sole possession of fourth place in the conference, while the loser will fall to sixth place below Texas Woman's. Fans can tune in to the action live at either 88.9 KETR or 107.1 Thunder Country. A video feed will also be made available courtesy of lionathletics.com.
 
Abigail Leaupepe-Tele returns to the Field House having just played her best game of the season, snagging a career-high 15 rebounds as part of a double-double in 22 minutes of action. The effort propels the senior forward into the top-ten in the conference on the rebounds per game list, as she currently ranks ninth with 6.3 per game. Perhaps even more dangerous on the boards is fellow senior La'Tisha Hearne, who snagged 11 rebounds last game despite playing with a lower-body injury. Hearne currently sits at fifth overall in the conference in rebounding, averaging 8.1 RPG. The two are major factors for a Lions team that leads the conference in rebounding with 41.1 per game.
 
Gabby Scott and Princess Davis led the way for the Lions offensively in their last game against the Pioneers, scoring 16 points a piece. Despite coming up flat along with the rest of the team from beyond the arc (the Lions won despite shooting 0 of 13 from deep), Scott managed her fourth consecutive double-digit scoring performance.
 
The TexAnns' most dynamic threat this season has been sophomore forward Ikpeaku Iwobi, who leads the conference in free-throw percentage at 89.6 percent and is second in the conference in rebounding at 8.7 RPG while also being second on her team in scoring with 11.8 PPG. The honor of most prolific scorer for the TexAnns belongs to senior guard Kathy Thomas, who tallies 13.9 PPG and while also leading TSU in assists with 2.7 APG.
 
In the statistical comparison, the teams are rather similar across the board with a few exceptions. Tarleton State has the superior shooting percentages, while the Lions are the better overall rebounders, although the caveat to that lies in the fact that the TexAnns are the best team in the conference at securing offensive rebounds. The one other aspect of TSU's game is they are the best perimeter defenders in the LSC, limiting opponents to a league-low 28.4 percent from deep. In the all-time series, which spans 47 games back to the 1973-74 season, the TexAnns control a 29-18 series edge.
 
Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday, January 31 at 4 p.m. in the Field House. Tickets cost $8 for general admission to the double header. For children between 4 and 12, the piece is reduced to $5. For kids three and under, as well as current students with a valid ID, admission is free of charge.