ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team fell to the Ouachita Baptist University Tigers 81-75 on Wednesday afternoon. The Lions fell behind in the first quarter and came just short of mounting a late comeback.
 
The Lions fall to 3-2 on the season. OBU improves to 3-2 on the season. The loss broke a three-game winning streak for A&M-Commerce.
 
The Lions will return to action on Sunday as they hit the road to face Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The game will begin at 2 p.m. at the Bloomer Sullivan Arena in Durant, Okla.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions had only six turnovers, their lowest mark in the tenure of coach Jason Burton. They caused 16 OBU turnovers
- The Lions also set a program record for best free throw shooting percentage at 92.6 percent. They shot 25-of-27 from the line, including 19-of-21 in the second half.
- Artaejah Gay had 21 points for the Lions, which tied a team-season high. She also had six rebounds, a block and a steal.
- Khala Riley scored a career-high 19 for the Lions, including a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. She led the Lions with five assists and seven rebounds. Krystal Pickron had 12 points.
- There were 50 total fouls called in the game. The teams shot a combined 61 free throws. Three Lions fouled out of the game.
- Six Tigers scored in double figures. Both teams made 23 field goals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions were ice-cold coming out of the gate, shooting 3-of-18 in the first quarter of play and digging themselves into an early hole. The Tigers made two consecutive three-pointers and jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. The Lions went on an 8-2 run to cut into the deficit but trailed 17-10 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Lions started the second quarter on a 6-0 run to close within one of the lead. Riley had two put-back buckets on offensive rebounds to fuel the Lions in the second quarter. She had eight points and six rebounds in the first half, including four offensive rebounds.
 
Gay also contributed for the Lions in the second quarter. She scored seven of the Lions' 15 points in the quarter. A&M-Commerce shot better in the second quarter, shooting 30 percent from the field but OBU shot 40 percent from the field and 57 percent from behind the arc in the second quarter. They pushed their lead to 34-25 at halftime.
 
The Tigers brought their lead to double-digits early in the third quarter, but the Lions hung tough. The Lions went on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to four points. Gay again was a force for the Lions, with nine points in the quarter.
 
Pickron and Riley each had five points in the third quarter. After halftime, the game became tightly officiated. After taking a total of eight free throws in the first half, the Tigers shot 11-of-13 from the free throw line in the third. The Lions shot 8-of-9 from the line in the third half.
 
With two minutes to go in the third quarter, the Tigers had pushed their lead to 14 points, the largest of the game. The Lions finished the quarter strong, ending on a 9-3 run to trail by eight going into the final period.
 
The Lions climbed back into the game in the fourth quarter. They scored the first four points of the quarter to trail by four. With five minutes left in the game, the Lions had cut the margin to just two points, the closest the game had been since the opening minute of the second quarter.
 
Both teams got to the free throw line in the fourth quarter. OBU again had 13 free throw attempts while the Lions had 12 in the final quarter. However, every time the Lions seemed to be going on a run to take their first lead, the Tigers responded and never let the game slip away.