COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team will hit the road for a rivalry game against Texas Woman's University in Denton. The teams split the season series a season ago.
                          
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce (9-5, 6-1 LSC) vs. Texas Woman's (6-7, 3-4 LSC)
WHERE: Kitty Magee Arena in Denton, Texas
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: portal.stretchinternet.com/twupioneers/
TICKETS: Click HERE
 
The Lions finished a three-game home series with a 68-62 win over Tarleton State on Tuesday. Head coach Jason Burton liked the way his team battled through the entire game, but knows the team still has some things to clean up.
 
"We had 27 turnovers," he said. "The good thing is we found a way to win despite having 27 turnovers. I'm really excited that we have a team that fights the way that they do and finds ways to get it done. I'm proud of how hard we played. But we definitely have to clean that up moving forward. The further we play, you just can't have consistent games with turnovers like that. But I'm really proud of the effort of our whole team and how we battled and guarded. It was good to get a win."
 
The Lions saw some of their veteran transfers make a big impact in the game. Burton liked what he saw from London Holland in limited action.
 
"London has been a solid defender for us all year," he said. "That has been her strength. She has been a defensive difference maker for us. What was good for her was to see her have an offensive game. The five points in eight minutes that she had were crucial. The three that she hit late in the game was a big one for us and really swung some momentum our way. She stays ready. You watch her throughout the game, even when she is not in, her energy is good. It is fun to have somebody like her on the team who is always ready to play."
 
Burton also complimented his starting shooting guard Melanie Ransom. While struggling to shoot the ball in the early stages of the season, Ransom has started to see the ball go into the basket. Burton also thinks she is getting comfortable in her new role, after being largely a role player at her previous school
 
"At Davidson, she was more of a complimentary player," Burton said of Ransom. "But she always had the ability to do more. Now she is starting to find herself. She has always had the ability. Her abilities are extraordinary. He ability to attack the basket and really rebound on both sides of the floor and her ability to shoot, we knew she could shoot the ball. She is starting to come into her own and be a big time player for us."
 
The Lions are off to the best start to a Lone Star Conference season in their history. The team is 6-1 in the LSC, setting a new record for most wins in their first seven games. The team had previously been 5-2 in conference play six different times, including last season. The team is also on a five-game winning streak in conference games, tying a school record. While Burton is happy the team is off to a record-breaking start, he knows there is still a long way to go in the season.
 
"All of that is good but we are only a third of the way through conference," he said. "And we look up and eight of our next 10 games are on the road. We have talked about it all year. We have to make sure that we defend home court. If we do that, it will put us in a great position. And that is what we have done. We have put ourselves in a good position. . We have to take this momentum on the road. Our next three games are on the road. We have to keep finding ways to win."
 
The Lions start their trip with a short bus ride to Denton to face Texas Woman's University. The Lions defeated TWU on the road a season-ago, scoring 20 unanswered points late in the fourth quarter to overcome a 14-point deficit. While the Pioneers have struggled in some games this season, Burton knows his team will need a 40-minute effort to come out victorious on the road.
 
"They are a team that plays hard," Burton said of TWU. "They make up for a lot because of how hard they play. They have had some things happen and had some adversity hit. The injury bug has hit them a little bit. The thing with them is they still compete and compete at a high level. We cannot go in with our guard down and not play. We have to play for 40 minutes. That's our theme moving forward. When we do that and we execute and are disciplined and are playing hard for 40 minutes, we tend to put ourselves in position to win the game."