Ada, Okla.-- The ice cold temperature inside of the Kerr Activities Center reflected the Tigers shooting as Lions cruised to a 61-39 win for consecutive road wins against Division II opponents.

TEAM LEADERS
A&M-Commerce
Points: Three players tied with ten points each
Rebounds: Amari Jones, 13
Assists: Princess Davis, 3
Steals: Four players tied with one steals each
Blocks: Three players tied with one block each

East Central
Points: Courtney Cowan, 10
Rebounds: Courtney Cowan, 9
Assists: Courtney Cowan, 3
Steals: Courtney Cowan, 3
Blocks: Kendal Rogers, 1
 
1st Half
In a slow starting first quarter, the Lions ended the first quarter with a 12-9 lead over the East Central Tigers. Gabby Scott started things off for the Lions after draining the first three of the game. Krystal Pickron soon followed suit with a three of her own and ended the quarter with a team high of five points. Tia Williams kept the Tigers in the quarter nailing two threes off of the bench.
 
The Lions came on the floor hot in the second quarter, jumping out to a 7-0 run that led to a 14-0 run. The Lions outscored the Tigers 19-8 in the quarter to go into the locker rooms at the half ahead 31-17. Despite 12 first half turnovers, the Lions comfortable lead was largely due to their 54.5 percent shooting, and more specifically, shooting 8-of-11 in the second quarter. East Central shot 20 percent from both the field and beyond the arc in the first half. Team leader Alexa Adair who averages 17.3 points per game was kept quiet in the half and went 0-of-7 from the floor. The Tigers ended the half being led by Tia Williams pair of threes in the first quarter. Krystal Pickron had a team high of eight points at the half and shot 2-of-3 from three-point range. Junior Khala Riley was next in scoring with six points and three rebounds. Gabby Scott and Artaejah Gay each had five points while Gay recorded two rebounds and a block all in two minutes. The Lions went into the locker room on cloud nine as Princess Davis sprinted down the court in four seconds to hit a shot at the buzzer. Davis ended the half with four points and a game high of three assists. 
 
2nd Half
The Lions came out in the scoring mood still as Khala Riley continues to push the envelope sinking the first shot of the second half. Conversely, East Central's shooting woes continued as they shot 2-of-14 in the third quarter. As for the Lions, the quarter ended with them shooting 41.2 percent from the field.
 
The Lions coasted in the second half as the Tigers showcased another low shooting quarter going 2-of-16. Courtney Cowan led the Tigers with ten points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Cowan also shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. The Lions finished the game shooting 45.1 percent from the floor, 28.6 percent from the three-point line, and 64.7 percent from the charity stripe on 11-of-17 attempts. Krystal Pickron, Gabby Scott, and Khala Riley each had ten points. Shomari Harris added nine points and set a new single-game highs in both free throws made and attempted shooting 5-of-6 at the stripe. Sophomore Artaejah Gay was the biggest contributor off of the bench scoring eight points, five rebounds, and one block in only nine minutes. The Lions 61-39 victory over East Central places them at .500 on their four-game road trip as well as their overall record this season. The Lions return home Saturday, December 19 when they take on Henderson State.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Lions screen back-to-back road wins against Division II opponents.
• East Central 39 points is the lowest total points scored by an A&M-Commerce opponent this season.
• The Lions largest lead of the game was by 27 points.
• A&M-Commerce wins with 22 turnovers in the game which is their second highest of the season. The first was their last road win against St. Edwards, where the Lions committed 23 turnovers.
• This is the Lions third victory this season by 20 or more points.
• The Lions outscored the Tigers 24-10 in the paint.
• The Lions outrebounded East Central 49-34.
• A&M-Commerce held East Central to eight second quarter points.
• Courtney Cowan nearly had a double-double and led the Tigers in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals.
• East Central shot 16% from the floor on 10-of-60 shooting.
• Alexa Adair went 2-of-14 from the floor while Whitney Stotler shot 2-of-6 from the field.
• Amari Jones had 13 rebounds that were all on the defensive glass.
• Shomari Harris set a new single-game high in free throws made and attempted by shooting 5-of-6 from the line.
• Brittany Adams had a single-game high of five rebounds.

Burton's Corner
When asked about:
…the Lions smothering defense and defensive rebounding.…
"It was the 39 points that won us the game, not the 61. Defensively, we played great pulling down 42 defensive rebounds and held Alexa Adair, their leading scorer, to six points, and Whitney Stotler to four points. The team executed our defensive game plan the best we have all season and did so on only one day of practice. We had a big defensive emphasis tonight and they executed it."
…Their next opponent in Henderson State.…
"Henderson State is a very talented team that can really score the ball. They are very balanced and have a post that has been dominant this year inside. They also have guards that can score from three and on the drive. We have shot the ball well at home and will need to do that again. However, this is a game we will really have to get stops."

GAME INFORMATION
Score: A&M-Commerce 61, East Central 39
Records: A&M-Commerce (5-5, 0-0 LSC), East Central (1-6, 0-0 GAC)
Series: A&M-Commerce are 9-13 against East Central
Location: Kerr Activities Center Ada, Oklahoma
Time of Game: 7 p.m.