COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team got its third win in a row Sunday afternoon with a 68-56 win over St. Edward's University. The Lions fell behind in the second quarter but rallied in the fourth quarter to get the win, outscoring SEU 27-12 in the final quarter.
The win brings the Lions to 3-1 on the season. The Hilltoppers fall to 1-4 on the season.
The Lions hit the road for their next two games. They play again on Wednesday against Ouachita Baptist. The game begins at 1 p.m. at the Bill Vining Arena in Arkadelphia, Ark.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions outscored SEU by 15 in the final quarter. They shot 64 percent in the fourth and made nine free throws.
-
Khala Riley had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Artaejah Gay also had 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half.
Krystal Pickron had a double-double with 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with three assists.
Brianna Wise had nine points and eight rebounds.
- A&M-Commerce assisted on 15 of its 23 field goals. The team had nine assists in the second half.
- The Lions had 49 rebounds compared to 37 for SEU. A&M-Commerce had 16 offensive rebounds in the game, with 10 coming in the second half. They scored 14 second-chance points.
- The Lions lost the turnover battle 12-10 but outscored SEU 11-3 on points off of turnovers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams were cold in the first quarter. The Lions shot 5-of-20 in the first 10 minutes of the game, while the Hilltoppers shot 3-of-14 in the first. The Lions got out to an early 8-3 lead, scoring two three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game. The Lions cooled off after this point. No Lion scored more than three points in the first quarter but A&M-Commerce took a 14-10 lead into the second quarter.
The Hilltoppers started the second quarter on an 8-1 run to take a 22-15 lead with five minutes to go in the half. The Lions got to the free throw line in the second quarter, shooting 4-of-6 but they shot just 2-of-13 from the field. A&M-Commerce had just eight points in the second quarter. The Hilltoppers shot 7-of-14 from the field and had 11 bench points in the quarter to take a 26-22 lead into halftime.
Pickron, Riley and
Princess Davis all had five points to lead the Lions at the half. The Lions shot just 7-of-33 in the first half, but shot 75 percent from the line to keep the game close.
The Lions cut into the deficit early in the third quarter, starting to see their shots fall. The Lions upped their defensive pressure and were quick to get rebounds in the third quarter. They started the break and had six fast break points. The Lions also had seven offensive rebounds in the third.
The Lions were sparked by a three-point play from Wise, who took a hard fall off of a foul and saw her shot bounce off the rim twice before falling in. She had seven points in the second half. From there, the Lions started to dominate the game. They trailed the Hilltoppers 44-41 going into the final period but had taken the momentum away from SEU.
The Lions started their full-court pressure in the second half and it started to pay off in the fourth quarter. The intensity of play ramped up ever further in the final period. Each team was giving full effort on rebounds and loose balls. Riley had five rebounds and eight points in the second half and Pickron had six rebounds to go along with six second-half points.
The Lions took their first lead of the second half with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter. With their full court pressure, the Lions created multiple turnovers and turned them into scoring opportunities. They led by three with five minutes left in the game.
The Lion defense and rebounding was on point late in the game and they pushed their lead to eight in the final minute of the game before the Hilltoppers started to foul. The Lions hit their free throws down the stretch. Pickron, Davis and Gay each hit three free throws in the second half.
