COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team will host Midwestern State University on Saturday in their second Lone Star Conference contest of the season. The A&M-Commerce men's team will play MSU at the conclusion of the women's game.
WHO: A&M-Commerce (5-2, 1-0 LSC) vs. Midwestern State (2-4, 0-1 LSC)
WHEN: Saturday, December 3 at 2 p.m.
WHERE: The Field House in Commerce, Texas
LIVE STATS: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=147055
LIVE VIDEO: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/tamucommerce/
TICKETS: http://lionathletics.com/sports/2016/11/18/2016-17-basketball-ticket-information.aspx
The Lions are coming off of a 94-89 come-from-behind win over Cameron on Thursday. The Lions trailed by 12 points at halftime and rallied in the second half to win. It is their second consecutive double-digit comeback win and their third game in a row where they have fallen behind by at least 12 before halftime and have fought their way back into the game.
"I feel like a broken record," said head coach
Jason Burton. "I feel like we played the way we had the last couple games. We've got to stop digging ourselves holes in the first half. I thought as far as how we came out and how we fought and how we closed the gap quickly in the second half, we were able to focus in. We've got to harness what we have been doing in the second half of games and play that way for 40 minutes."
The intensity of play picked up as both teams began their conference schedule. With a group of new players who got their first taste of Lone Star Conference action, Burton thought the newcomers responded well to the added pressure.
"I thought our new players played extremely well," he said. "I thought
Lauren Parker did a really good job of stepping in and guarding. She scored at the times we needed her to score. And she was very good defensively. She did exactly what we needed her to do. Then you look at someone like
Brianna Wise, she got in foul trouble but most of her 11 points were in the fourth quarter. She came in while others were gassed and did exactly what she does at the time we needed to do it."
Burton also liked the play of freshman
Jenna Price. She has started the last two games and has scored in double figures in both games. She recorded a double-double with career highs in points (15) and rebounds (14). Burton has seen her confidence grow in each game she has played.
"The more she's played in games, the more confident she has gotten in her own ability," Burton said of Price. "When you get 14 boards and six of them are offensive rebounds, you are creating shots for yourself based on just pure hustle. Her hard play has been a spark for us and hopefully it will rub off on other players. If you look at her length and size, she just creates plays for us. She is getting deflections and altering shots defensively and she is going and getting boards for us. I think with the game she just had, she is only going to get momentum from that and keep going."
After falling behind by a large margin in the first half, Burton was impressed with the veteran leadership his team showed, especially from three of his starters who have experienced LSC play.
Krystal Pickron had a career-high 25 points in the win and
Khala Riley tied her career high in both points and assists while playing a career-high 39 minutes. Burton also praised
Princess Davis, who was a constant voice on the bench even though she was unable to play in the game.
"I can't speak enough about our veterans and how well they have played this year," Burton said. "Khala is leading our team in four statistical categories and is top 10 in the conference in three key statistical categories—scoring, rebounding and assists.
"And Krystal was sick that morning and went to the doctor about 2 hours before the game. She was able to turn around and have a career high in scoring and also played extremely good defense. I am really proud of what they are doing and how they are stepping up and playing this year."
The team now looks toward facing MSU. The Lions beat the Mustangs in both contests last season, the first time they have swept the season series against Midwestern. While struggling to start the season, Burton said MSU has one of the best coaching staffs in the conference and he knows they will be prepared to play and will have a solid game plan against the Lions.
"The thing about Midwestern is that they don't stop playing," he said. "You look at their record and it may not be great on paper but that has nothing to do with how hard they are going to play and the focus they are going to have coming into our gym. When you go on the road, you at least want to get one win on a road trip. They are looking to get that one when they play us. We have to be ready for anything."
