STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS – The regular season didn't end the way the Lion women hoped it would, as A&M-Commerce (13-13; 7-9 in LSC) went down big early before eventually falling 97-53 to the Tarleton State TexAnns (17-9; 9-7 in LSC).
 
 The Lions were forced to take the court without their veteran guard Ashlee Johnson, and her calming presence was sorely missed. The Lions started the game on a catastrophic shooting slump.  By the midway point of the first half, Tarleton State had ripped off a 29-4 run to start the game. The Lions would never recover.
 
Gabby Scott and Abigail Leaupepe-Tele were the two Lions to reach double-digit scoring on the night, putting in 11 and 10 points respectively. Scott was pressed into serious action, logging a game-high 35 minutes, while Leaupepe-Tele bolstered her resume as the fourth-most prolific shot-blocker in the conference with a game-high two blocks.
 
La'Tisha Hearne was the Lions' leader under the glass with five rebounds, and in doing so, moved into a tie for sixth place on the A&M-Commerce all-time rebounding list.
 
Kathy Thomas delivered a big-time performance, with the senior giving quite the swan song in her final game in Wisdom Gym. Thomas sunk 23 points on 7 of 10 from the floor and 4 of 6 from deep, adding four rebounds and four assists in only 21 minutes. Though three other TexAnns reached double-digits, the real story was the true team-effort nature of the win, as all 15 players who checked in for TSU made their way onto the scoreboard.
 
The TexAnns bested the Lions in shooting from all areas, but most strikingly from long-range, where the where the Lions missed all seve of their deep attempts. Conversely, TSU rained in 12 threes on 26 attempts. The Lions compounded their poor shooting night by committing nine more turnovers than Tarleton State (21-12), which led to the TexAnns earning 34 points off turnovers to the Lions' 12.
 
With the loss, the LSC Tournament bracket is now set, and the Lions will open play against the third seeded Cameron Aggies, who lost to Midwestern State earlier today. The winner of that game will face the winner of the 2 vs. 7 matchup, MSU vs. Eastern New Mexico. On the other side of the bracket, the TexAnns claim the 4 seed, and will open the tournament against the fifth seeded TWU Pioneers. Finally, the No. 4 ranked team in the nation WT will play the 8 seed, Angelo State.
 
The Lions will begin Tournament play on Thursday, March 5 at noon at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas against the Cameron Aggies.