SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – A&M-Commerce women's basketball (13-9; 7-5 in LSC) went blow-for-blow with Angelo State (7-16; 2-11 in LSC) on Sunday night, ultimately prevailing on late free-throw shooting to win 67-62, and maintain their grasp on the No. 4 spot in the conference.

The Lions' young guns stole the show in the Junell Center, as freshmen Princess Davis and Artaejah Gay led the way in scoring with 16 and 13 points respectively. Davis was on the court nearly the entire game, playing 38 minutes, and did a little of everything by adding five rebounds, four assists and two steals, while shooting a highly efficient 5 of 7 from the field and 6 of 9 from the line. Gay also maximized her chances with 6 of 8 shooting, while adding four boards and a steal.

"We really needed those two tonight," "I told Princess (Davis) after the first half that there were opportunities that she could really attack. She was able to see some of the things that I was talking about, and she did a great job at attacking the basket."

The key stretch for the Lions came during a five-minute span midway through the second half, when A&M-Commerce went on a 14-2 run, and pulled out to a game-high nine-point lead. The Rambelles would answer as best they could, ultimately pulling back to within one with only four minutes remaining, but could never quite regain the lead. The Lions were able to hold on at the end by virtue of free throw shooting coming off of intentional fouls.

The first half was extremely close, winding up with A&M-Commerce taking a 30-27 lead into the break. Multiple lead changes took place, and neither team pulled away by more than a five-point lead. The Lions took a communal approach to their scoring, with three players leading the way with six points each, and eight players total finding their way onto the scoreboard. Angelo State meanwhile got 22 out of it's 27 first-half points from its starting bigs, Shauna Coleman and Diamalises Rivera. Coleman had nine points and a game-high six rebounds, while Rivera led the game in scoring with 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. However, the Lions keyed in on the pair in the second half, limiting them to a combined five points.

"Those two are going to be good for (Angelo State) going forward," said Burton, "Even without Rivera's offensive rebounds, her presence opened up opportunities for others to make plays. And Coleman, with ten boards and nine assists...that's a tough tandem."

Senior Abigail Leaupepe-Tele continued her streak of reliable play, pulling in six points, six rebounds, two steals and a block in only 18 minutes of action, while leading all players in the game in +/- with a +18. Gabby Scott earned her seventh double-digit scoring line in her last nine games with an 11-point performance. Ashlee Johnson had an uncharacteristic zero-assist night, but made up for it with good work on the glass, pulling in six rebounds. She also chipped in eight points, the majority of which came in the second half when they mattered most.

As a team, the Lions' key to victory was their effectiveness from the field, as they compiled more fast break points (10-2) and points in the paint than ASU, which unsurprisingly led to better shooting numbers (38-28). Angelo State's one area of strength came on the offensive glass, where they outperformed the Lions 16-11. Every other category was strikingly similar.

The Rambelles stand pat at eighth in the conference, holding on to the final seed in the LSC Tournament. With a two game cushion above A&M-Kingsville and a two game deficit below Eastern New Mexico with only three games remaining, the likelihood of Angelo State moving out of that eighth spot seems unlikely. Their next test comes this Wednesday, when the second place Midwestern State Mustangs make their way to the Junell Center.

With the win, the Lions remain at fourth place in the conference, avoiding falling below Tarleton State, who were idle today and sit in fifth with a 7-7 conference record. Next, they head even further west for a Tuesday night showdown with the Eastern New Mexico Zias (8-14; 4-8 in LSC) on February 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.