COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team scored a 78-60 win over West Texas A&M on Saturday. The win broke a 15-game losing streak to the Lady Buffs and a 15-year regular season home losing skid to WT.
 
The Lions now jump into sole possession of third place in the Lone Star Conference with a 13-5 record and a 7-3 record in the LSC. WT falls 13-6 and 6-4 in conference action.
 
The Lions now hit the road as they travel to face Midwestern State on Thursday. The game will be at 5:30 p.m. at the D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls.
  INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The win is the first for the Lions against WT since a playoff win in Commerce in 2007. It was the first regular season home win for A&M-Commerce against WT since 2002.
- Four Lions finished in double figures. Artaejah Gay led A&M-Commerce with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including making both of her shots from behind the arc.
- Khala Riley had 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists, including going 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
- Krystal Pickron had 13 points, going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Brianna Wise added 12 points and three assists.
- The Lions shot 45 percent from the field, knocking down one more field goal than WT.
- The Lions shot 85 percent from the free throw line, knocking down 23 of their 27 attempts. WT shot 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
- The Lions caused 23 WT turnovers and converted them into 36 points. The Lions were plus-10 in turnovers for the game, giving up only 13.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions came out of the gates hot, scoring six of the first eight points of the game. The Lions were able to get two steals and turn them into transition baskets.
 
The Lady Buffs responded by going on a run of their own. WT caught fire from three-point range starting at the eight-minute mark of the first quarter. They knocked down multiple triples to take their first lead with six minutes to play in the quarter.
 
The floodgates opened as WT quickly brought their lead to nine. The Lions went through a cold spell and the Buffs continued to drive inside and then kick to their shooters. They ended the quarter on a 20-7 run to take a 22-13 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Lions began to chip away at the WT lead in the second. The Lions were able to cause some missed shots from WT and get out in transition and get to the foul line. A three from Gay started and bookended the scoring and the Lions were able to go on a 13-0 run over a three-minute span to regain the lead. Gay was also part of a three-point play that gave the Lions a two-point lead. Wise also made a layup while getting fouled to keep the Lions on top.
 
The Lady Buffs responded with a three to calm the momentum and both teams battled for the next three minutes, and the game was tied with two minutes to play in the half. The Lions finished the quarter on a hot streak, scoring the last six points. Pickron hit a three-pointer and on the next possession, Natalie Hessong hit from deep to give the Lions their largest lead to that point and they took a 39-33 lead into halftime. Starting on their 11-0 run, the Lions outscored WT 22-7 to close out the half.
 
Gay led all scorers at halftime with 13 points, shooting 5-of-6 in the first half. Pickron, Wise and Hessong each added six for the Lions. The Lions caused 12 WT turnovers and turned them into 19 points. The Lions had just six turnovers in the first half.
 
WT shot 50 percent in the first half but the Lions weren't too far behind, shooting 42 percent.
 
The Lions scored the first basket of the third quarter before the Buffs went on a 10-0 run to retake the lead. Lion turnovers aided WT but the Lions held strong and withstood the run and kept the game close.
 
The game went back and forth throughout the remainder of the quarter. Neither team led by more than three. There were four lead changes in the quarter. The Lions retook the lead for good in the final minute of the third quarter, taking a 53-50 lead into the final period.
 
Riley and Wise each had buckets to begin the fourth quarter to give the Lions a seven-point lead. The Buffs responded to cut the lead down to just one with six minutes left. After a Lion bucket, the Buffs scored their final point of the game at the 4:43 mark. The Lions scored the final 16 points of the game, mainly from the free throw line.

Head Coach Jason Burton after the game