COMMERCE, TEXAS – A&M-Commerce women's basketball (12-9; 6-5 in LSC) is packing its bags for a trip out west for to the Junell Center, as they will try and defend their position at fourth place in the conference in a showdown with the Angelo State Rambelles (7-15; 2-10 in LSC).
 
The Lions and Rambelles met previously in the season inside the Field House. Despite the terrific effort of Amanda Weaver, who dropped 25 points and eight rebounds to lead all scorers, the Rambelles were run over by the Lions 80-57. It was a complete team-effort on the part of A&M-Commerce, as the Lions saw five players reach double-digits with every player who checked into the game making their way on to the scoreboard. Now, ASU looks to reverse their fortunes by completing a sweep of their weekend back-to-backs, as they come fresh off a 64-58 win over Texas Woman's on Saturday. Fans can tune in to both 88.9 KETR and 107.1 Thunder Country to follow the action live.
 
Last Thursday in the Field House, the Lions pulled off a 74-57 rout of the visiting A&M-Kingsville Javelinas. After a close first half, the Lions clamped down on defense, limiting TAMUK to a paltry 5 of 35 shooting from the field in the entire second half. Gabby Scott led all scorers with 16 points, her ninth double-digit scoring performance of the season, while pawing away a career-high four steals. Ashlee Johnson came off the bench to give the Lions an extremely balanced effort, scoring 11 points, six boards, six assists, a steal and a block. Senior Abigail Leaupepe-Tele's line was incredible considering her mere 16 minutes of action, as she scored nine points to go with seven boards and three blocks.
 
Senior forward La'Tisha Hearne boasts the distinction of winning both Offensive and Defensive LSC Player of the Week honors this season, and has racked up four double-doubles on the year. Though she's been forced to play through a nagging lower body injury as of late, she's still proved an effective force down low. Just last Thursday, she led the game in rebounds with eight, while repeatedly sacrificing her body in an effort to procure charge calls.
 
As a team, the Rambelles lead the Lone Star Conference in perimeter defense limiting opponents to 29.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The aforementioned Weaver is the resident three-point specialist for ASU, as she ranks fourth in the conference in both three point percentage (35.9%) and threes per game (1.9), while also ranking third in the conference in minutes at 31.5 MPG. Even with Weaver in the lineup though, the squad may struggle to score, as their two leading scorers, Jasmine Caston and Jackie Patterson, have both been absent from the Rambelle lineup since January. In the paint, Angelo State has relied on the services of Shauna Coleman, who averages 5.3 RPG.
 
On paper, the Lions would appear to be the superior team, with significant advantages in scoring (69.5 to 61.9 PPG), rebounding (41.4 to 38.4 RPG) and steals (7.8 to 6.4 SPG). Conversely, the Rambelles hold minor advantages in three point shooting and free throw shooting. Historically however, it's ASU with the advantage, as they've managed a 43-23 record against the Lions all-time dating back to 1980-81.
 
Tipoff is scheduled for Sunday, February 15 at 4 p.m. in the Junell Center on the campus of the Junell Center. After that, the Lions will delve even further west into the Land of Enchantment, as A&M-Commerce is scheduled to visit the Eastern New Mexico Zias on Tuesday, February 17.