COMMERCE, TEXAS – After a hard-fought first half, Lion women's basketball (13-12; 7-8 in LSC) let the game get away from them in the second, as the visiting Texas Woman's Pioneers (15-12; 8-8 in LSC) got the 63-53 win, spoiling the Lions' senior game.
The Lions seized the early momentum in the first ten minutes of the contest, extending their lead to as far as 12 with a score of 20-8. The Pioneers would answer with a 24-9 run to close out the half, making the score a 32-29 advantage heading into the half.
Abigail Leaupepe-Tele entered the locker room as the most impressive player on the floor, with seven points and eight rebounds a block and a steal in only nine minutes. She would go on to finish the night with a 10-15 double-double, the second of her season and the second against Texas Woman's. Her 15 boards matched a career high, which was also first set earlier this season against TWU.
In the second half, the Pioneers were lights out from the free throw line, shooting 16 of 19 from the stripe in the second frame. The Lions paled in comparison by going 9 of 18, and did themselves no favors by turning the ball over 20 times over the course of the game. In the end, that combination proved too much for the Lions to overcome, and when the game devolved into dueling free throws in the final minutes, it was TWU who emerged victorious.
"We stopped getting the ball inside," said head coach
Jason Burton, "Our bigs were effective when they got touches, but we settled for jump shots and turned the ball over too much. We had opportunities from the line, but we didn't take advantage of them. We'll study the game tomorrow, and find a way to get better as a team."
Though her statline was modest,
La'Tisha Hearne turned her senior night into a historic evening. Though she only snagged three rebounds, they were enough to propel her into seventh place on the A&M-Commerce all-time rebounding chart with 585, moving past the 584 of Meshell Graham, who played from 1985-1988.
Artaejah Gay also had a productive night, with 13 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes of action. As a team, A&M-Commerce won the rebounding battle 47-39
For the Pioneers, Deja Pointer led the way with 18 points to lead all scorers, adding a game-high four steals. Pointer was half the reason TWU was so successful from the free throw line, as she buried 11 of 14 tries. The other half of the reason was guard Kenesha Saygo, who finished with 14 points on 8 of 8 shooting from the line while adding eight rebounds. As a team, the Pioneers were menacing in their defense of the rim, tallying seven shot-rejections to the Lions' two.
With Wednesday's result, as many as five LSC teams turn their attention to Saturday's ultra-important game between Tarleton State (16-9; 8-7 in LSC) and A&M-Commerce. If the Lions lose that game, they would finish the season with the sixth seed heading into the LSC Tournament, and would play the loser of Saturday's contest between Midwestern State and Cameron. That would also mean the Pioneers and TexAnns would play one another in the 5/4 matchup. However, if the Lions win against Tarleton State, then the Lions would find themselves in the 4 seed with a rematch in store against TWU, and Tarleton State would sink to the sixth slot to face either Cameron or Midwestern State.
"We represent our university, our families and ourselves every time we take the floor, and we're going to battle hard to win on Saturday," said Burton.
Tipoff for the final game of the Lions' season is scheduled for Saturday, February 28 at 5 p.m. in Tarleton State's Wisdom Gym.
