ARKADELPHIA, Ark.– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team scored a 65-60 win over Henderson State on Saturday. The Lions jumped out to a 17-point lead in the second quarter and held on to get the win.
 
The win brings the Lions to 8-3 on the season. The Reddies fall to 4-6 on the year.
 
The game was the final Division II game for the Lions in the 2016 calendar year. They will face UT Arlington in an exhibition game on Sunday at 5 p.m. The game will be at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The Lions will then break before returning to action in January.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions led by as many as 17 in the game. After giving up the lead in the third quarter, the Lions scored 10 of the final 14 points to get the win.
- Khala Riley led the Lions with 15 points. She also had three rebounds and two assists.
- Brianna Wise recorded the first double-double of her A&M-Commerce career. She had 14 points and 10 rebounds, a season high.
- Krystal Pickron had 13 points. Lauren Parker had six points and a career-high 13 rebounds, nine of which came in the first half.
- The Lions shot 39 percent from the field while holding HSU to just 30 percent. It is the second consecutive game the Lions have won the field goal percentage battle.
- A&M-Commerce shot a season-low 52 percent from the free throw line.
- The Lions had 21 second chance points on 17 offensive rebounds. The Lions outscored HSU 9-3 on points off of turnovers in the second half.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions jumped out to a quick lead in the game. Riley had a three-point play early, with her shot bouncing twice on the rim before falling in. The Lions had a 7-2 lead in the first four minutes.
 
The Reddies closed the gap with back-to-back buckets to cut the Lion lead down to 10-8 with three minutes to go. The Lions finished strong. Natalie Hessong came in and hit two consecutive three pointers in her first two shots of the season. The Lions took a 20-10 lead into the second quarter.
 
Gay scored the first four points of the second quarter, including a three-point play. The Lions continued to pressure the Reddies in the full court and continued to shoot red-hot in the half. After shooting 44 percent in the first quarter, the Lions pushed their shooting percentage to 52 percent with six minutes to go in the half.
 
The Reddies started to go on a run at the six-minute mark of the second quarter. They scored 12 unanswered points to cut the Lion lead to 30-25. The Lions committed several turnovers and missed a few shots to let HSU back into the game. The Lions were held scoreless for nearly five minutes and had 10 turnovers in the first half.
 
That run was halted by a three-point play by Wise to close the half. The Lions went into halftime with a 33-25 lead.
 
Wise and Riley led the Lions with eight points apiece. Wise had five rebounds and Riley was 3-of-3 from the field. Hessong had six points and Gay had five points. Lauren Parker had nine rebounds in the first half, already a career high.
 
The Lions held the Reddies to 25 percent shooting in the first half and closed the half shooting 41 percent from the field. A&M-Commerce had nine second-chance points while the Reddies had 11 points off of turnovers to stay in the game.
 
Pickron shot well to begin the second half. She scored five of the first six points for the Lions, pushing the lead back to nine. However, the Reddies didn't stop fighting.
 
Starting at the four minute mark of the third quarter, HSU began to go on a run. They scored 10 unanswered points to take their first lead of the game with two minutes left in the third quarter. The Lions scored a late basket and the game went into the fourth quarter tied at 47.
 
The game was back and forth throughout much of the fourth quarter with neither team seizing momentum. The Lions would score and then the Reddies would respond. And vice versa. There were six lead changes in the fourth quarter. With three minutes to go the Reddies held a 56-55 lead.
 
The Lions finally got the momentum to swing their way. Wise hit a jumper and Riley and Pickron both hit layups to give the Lions the lead back for good. They scored 10 of the final 14 points of the game and made their free throws down the stretch. The Lions shot 43 percent from the field in the final quarter.

Head Coach Jason Burton after the game
On team's fast start:
"We got out and we played well. We came out focused. Depth has been an issue for us. And getting Natalie back gave us a spark. It was great to have her back. She did a good job when she was out there."
 
On Henderson State:
"This team is dangerous. We were lucky that they weren't hot from three because we gave them too many open looks. We are thankful for a win."
 
On the play of Lauren Parker:
"She is our junkyard dog. That is the best way to describe her. She was all over the place. She knocked down a big jump shot late. She is a workhorse for us. She really saved us because we were outrebounded in the first half. I'm thankful we have her because she really deserves to start. She is not flashy but she is showing everybody that she is a workhorse. We need players like that."