Commerce, Texas – The Lions return home Saturday, December 19 to play against the 5-4 Henderson State Reddies at 7:30 pm.
A&M-Commerce (5-5) return home for the first and only time in the month of December after a four-game road trip. In that stint, the Lions finished 2-2 and have a 2-4 road record after starting the season 0-3 on the road. In their last game, The Lions defeated East Central 61-39 and screened back-to-back wins on the road against Division II opponents. In that game,
Khala Riley,
Gabby Scott, and
Krystal Pickron each dropped ten points. The Lions 68.1 points per game places them fourth in the Lone Star Conference. They are also ranked fourth in scoring defense, only allowing opponents access to 62 points per game. One of the Lions standout qualities has been their success on the boards this season. A&M-Commerce is ranked 69 in the entire nation for Division II in rebounds per game.
Amari Jones leads the way in this category as she is ranked 60 in the nation in total rebounds, which is the highest ranking of any other Lone Star Conference player this season. Jones and
Audrisa Harrison both remain in the top ten of the Lone Star Conference in rebounds per game with Jones in second with 9.9 boards per game, and Harrison seventh, with 5.9 rebounds per game. When it comes to scoring,
Amari Jones,
Khala Riley, and
Shomari Harris all average a team high of nine points per game. Harris has been stepping up for the Lions on the court averaging roughly 11 points in the last three games. Harris is also ranked fourth in the Lone Star Conference with 3.2 assists per game, and tied for fourth with
Amari Jones with 1.7 steals per game. The Lions are looking to get over .500 for the first time this season since the season opener where they beat MSU-Denver 63-59.
The Reddies of Henderson State are 5-4 this season winning five of their last seven games after starting the season 0-3. The Reddies are heating up right now and are on a three-game winning streak including a perfect 4-0 record in the Great American Conference. Similar opponents for Henderson State and the Lions consist of East Central, SE Oklahoma State, and Rogers State. Henderson State defeated all three of these opponents where the Lions loss only to Rogers State. Henderson State can score the basketball averages 73.3 points per game but struggles a little on defense as they also allow an average of 73 points per game to their opponents creating a slight .3 scoring margin in favor of the Reddies. The Reddies shoot just over 40 percent from the floor and shoots 32 percent from the three-point line. Henderson State has a tri of players that average double figures in scoring. Dulincia Keener leads the team with 17.3 points per game and has made the cut for the top ten players in scoring in the Great American Conference. Victoria Stewart is next in line putting in 12.6 points per game and leads the team with 24 assists and nine blocks. Haleigh Henson is the last of the three-headed monster averaging 12.3 points per contests. Jill Thomas serves as the head coach for the Reddies for the thirs season and has an overall 28-35 record at Henderson State.
The Reddies hold an 8-2 record over the Lions in head-to-head matchups. The Lions are on a four-game losing streak against Henderson State including dropping two of those games at home in The Field House. The last win for the Lions dates back to New Year's Eve of 2004 where the Lions escaped with a 66-65 win in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
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