ARLINGTON – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team lost 80-50 to UT Arlington in an exhibition match on Sunday. The Lions fell behind early but kept battling until the last whistle, using every player available on their bench in the game.
 
The game does not count towards the overall standings for A&M-Commerce. The Lions enter their holiday break with an 8-3 record and a conference record of 3-1. The Lions return to conference action on Jan. 5 against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The game will be at 5:15 p.m. at the SPEC in Kingsville.

  INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Krystal Pickron led the Lions with 10 points. Jordan Williams had seven points while Khala Riley and Jasmyn Poe each added six for the Lions.
- Penina Faumui led the Lions with six rebounds. Lauren Parker had five rebounds while Victoria George and Artaejah Gay each had four boards.
- The Lions struggled from the field against a lengthy Maverick team. They shot 30 percent while UTA shot 44 percent.
- The Lions committed 23 turnovers but caused 22 UTA turnovers. The Lions scored 15 points off of turnovers.
- All 13 Lions saw action and 12 of them got on the scoreboard.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mavericks struggled early from the field, missing their first four shots. The Mavs also were strong on the offensive glass. They got their first shot to fall after four consecutive offensive rebounds. The Lions also struggled early from the field. The Mavs had an 11-2 lead after the first five minutes of play. Both teams began to see their shots fall. The Mavs finished the quarter shooting 8-of-18. The Lions shot 4-of-15 in the quarter. The Lions trailed 23-9 after one.
 
The Lions hit a three-pointer to begin the quarter but were then held scoreless for the next four minutes. The Mavs started the quarter on a 10-3 run. The Lions hit a pair of shots on back-to-back possessions midway through the quarter to break the scoreless streak. Victoria George and Krystal Pickron had easy opportunities and knocked them down. The Lions went on a 6-2 run to cut the deficit back to 15 with three minutes to play.
 
However, the Mavs responded with a run of their own, capitalizing on multiple Lion turnovers. The Lions answered right back to keep the game close, going into the half trailing 44-25. UTA scored 21 points off of turnovers and 20 points in the paint in the first half. Both benches scored 16 points.
 
Williams led the Lions with five points in the first half. Pickron, Riley and George each had four points. Aysia Evans led UTA with 12 points and three assists.
 
The Mavericks continued to build their lead in the third quarter. They outscored the Lions 26-9 in the third. The Mavericks continued to full court press the Lions and caused turnovers. The Mavericks led 70-34 going into the fourth quarter.
 
The Lions came out shooting in the final quarter. They outscored the Mavericks 16-10 in the final quarter. The Lions continued to battle until the final whistle.