COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team got a 92-65 win over Western New Mexico on Thursday. The Lions found their groove in the second quarter and never looked back.
 
The win brings the Lions to 15-6 on the season and 9-4 in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs fall to 4-16 and 0-13 in conference play.
 
The Lions will host conference-leading Eastern New Mexico on Saturday as part of Alumni Day. The game will begin at 2 p.m. at the Field House.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Artaejah Gay led the Lions with 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting, 18 of which came in the first half. She also pulled down six rebounds. That output put her over 800 points in her A&M-Commerce career and moved her into 17th place on the all-time scoring list. Gay has had five 20-point games this season.
- Brittany Adams set a career high with 12 points, going 5-of-6 from the field. 11 of her points came in the fourth quarter.
- Jenna Price had 12 points and had 11 rebounds. That was her sixth double-double of the season.
- Krystal Pickron added 10 points. Brianna Wise led the Lions with a career-high six assists. Khala Riley added four assists.
- The Lions had 23 assists on 34 made baskets. They also had 54 points in the paint.
- The Lions shot 49 percent from the field in the game. A&M-Commerce committed just nine turnovers.
- Jordan Gutierrez had 17 points to lead WNMU. Jade Botelho added 16 points for the Mustangs.
- With the win, the Lions have nine conference wins, matching their total from last season. The Lions have seven conference games remaining on the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mustangs were the first team on the board and held the lead for nearly three minutes before the Lions took their first lead of the game with seven minutes to play in the first quarter. The Mustangs regained the lead and hit back-to-back threes to take their largest lead of the game. With four minutes to play, the Mustangs led 13-7.
 
The Lions responded with a 7-0 run to regain the lead. Pickron had a three-point play and a jumper as part of the run. The Mustangs regained the lead for a brief moment before the Lions took the lead for good on a jumper from Gay right before the end of the quarter. The Lions led 18-15 at the end of the first.
 
The Lions took command of the game in the second quarter. Beginning in the final minute of the first quarter, the Lions went on a 15-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 14-point lead. Gay had two baskets and Price hit five free throws as part of the run.
 
The Mustangs began to fight back, going on a 6-0 run themselves to cut the lead back down to single digits. But the Lions wouldn't let the momentum completely swing WNMU's way. At the three minute mark, the Lions led by 13.
 
The last three minutes of the half was all Lions. Gay had a three-point play and Natalie Hessong had five points as part of an 8-0 run that brought the Lion lead to 21. A late basket by the Mustangs sent A&M-Commerce into the half with a 49-30 lead.
 
Gay led all scorers with 18 points in the first half on 8-of-13 shooting. Pickron and Price both had seven points. Price also pulled down five rebounds in the first half. The Lions shot 35 percent from the field in the first quarter but shot 65 percent in the second quarter. Wise and Jordan Williams each had three assists in the first half.
 
The Lions built on their lead to go up by 25 early in the third quarter. Price hit a three-pointer and a layup to increase the Lion lead. The Mustangs went on a 6-0 run to get the lead back under 20 but the spark was quickly extinguished. The Lions finished the quarter on a 7-2 run to lead by 25 going into the final period.
 
Adams came on strong in the fourth quarter. She had 11 points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, including a three-point play that brought the Lion lead to 30 points.  The Lion reserves finished the game off and A&M-Commerce came away with the win.