PORTALES, N.M. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team suffered its first conference loss of the season on Thursday as the Lions fell 75-64 to Eastern New Mexico. The Lions fell behind big in the second quarter and could not make a run to get back into the game.
 
The loss brings the Lions to 6-3 on the season and 2-1 in the Lone Star Conference. The Greyhounds jump to 5-2 and 3-0 in conference play.
 
The Lions return to action on Saturday as they travel to face Western New Mexico. The game will begin at 3 p.m. CST at Drag's Court in Silver City, N.M. The game will be the final conference game of the 2016 calendar year for the Lions. The game is also the second of a six-game road trip.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Jenna Price led the Lions with 15 points and eight rebounds. She shot 11-of-14 from the free throw line.
- Brianna Wise had 14 points for the Lions off of the bench, including 7-of-8 from the line. Khala Riley had 13 points and two assists, shooting 6-of-9 from the line.
- A&M-Commerce shot 44 free throws in the game, the Lions' highest amount on the season. It set a new school record for most free throw attempts in a single game and most free throws made in a single game. They converted 35 of them to shoot 80 percent. The Lions had been averaging 26 attempts per game from the free throw line.
- There were a total of 48 turnovers committed in the game, 24 by each team.
- The Lions struggled mightily from the field, shooting 22 percent in the game. ENMU shot 39 percent from the field.
- The Lions' second quarter struggles continued as they were outscored 25-14 in the second. They trailed by as many as 19 in the game. A&M-Commerce outscored ENMU in the second half.
- A&M-Commerce scored 24 points off of turnovers and had 16 fast break points. The Greyhounds had 30 points in the paint and had eight blocks in the game.
- Amari Dennis led the Greyhounds with 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half. Kassandra Harris had 14 points, Mikaehla Connors had 13 points and Johna McClelland had 11 points for ENMU.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Riley was aggressive early in the game. She had the first four points for the Lions. The Greyhounds pressured the ball early, playing full court press from the get-go. The pressure caused some early turnovers from A&M-Commerce and ENMU jumped out to a quick 11-7 lead midway through the first quarter. The Lions had six turnovers in the first six minutes of the game.
 
The Greyhounds went on an 8-2 run to push their lead to eight with two minutes to play in the first. The Lions went on a small run to end the first quarter and trailed 20-16 after one. ENMU got to the free throw line early and often in the first quarter, converting 6-of-7 attempts in the first quarter. The Greyhounds caused 10 Lion turnovers and converted them into 10 points.
 
ENMU hit two three-pointers early in the second quarter. The Lions struggled from the field throughout the quarter, shooting 3-of-14 from the field while the Greyhounds shot 9-of-18 from the field and 4-of-9 from three.
 
The Lions got their points from the free throw line in the second quarter. They got to the line 12 times and converted eight. However their shooting struggles caused them to fall behind even farther. They were trailing by double digits midway through the quarter. The Lions were held without a field goal for more than four minutes before getting a late bucket before the half. They trailed 45-30 at halftime.
 
Riley led the Lions with nine points in the first half. Price had six points and five rebounds. Wise and Penina Faumui each had five points.
 
Harris led ENMU with 11 points in the first half, including making all five of her free throws. McClelland had nine points and four rebounds.
 
The Lions came out aggressively in the second half. Price drew multiple fouls early in the half to get to the free throw line. She knocked down her free throws to cut into the lead. However, turnovers continued to plague A&M-Commerce, leading to buckets for the Greyhounds. Midway through the quarter, ENMU still held a large lead.

The Lions were again held without a field goal for more than four minutes but they got to the free throw line to cut the lead down to 12 points. However, the Greyhounds would not relent and they brought their lead back up and pushed it up to 62-45 at the end of the quarter, their largest lead of the game.
 
Both teams struggled to score to start the fourth quarter. After five minutes of play, each team had scored just six points. The Lions went on a late run to cut the Greyhound lead back down to single digits. Starting at the five-minute mark, the Lions went on a 12-2 run to give themselves a chance. They held the Greyhounds without a field goal for the final four minutes of the game. However, the run could not be sustained and ENMU made their free throws down the stretch to get the win.