ODESSA– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team defeated UT Permian Basin 88-77 in overtime on Thursday. The Lions took control of the overtime period, outscoring UTPB 16-7 in the final five minutes.
 
The win brings the Lions to 11-5 on the season and 8-1 in the Lone Star Conference. Coupled with a loss by West Texas A&M, the Lions are now in sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
 
The Lions will travel to Canyon on Saturday to face No. 8 WT. That game will be played at 2 p.m. at the First United Bank Center. The game is part of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase and will be broadcast live on ESPN3, WatchESPN, and the ESPN family of mobile apps.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions have won five games in a row, their longest winning streak under head coach Jason Burton.
- The Lions have won three LSC games in overtime this season. The Lions have played in four overtime games this season.
- Six Lions finished the game in double figures. All five starters scored in double digits.
- Brianna Wise led all scorers with 21 points, her ninth 20+ point game of the season. She also led the team with nine rebounds.
- Artaejah Gay moved into seventh place on the all-time scoring list after scoring 17 points in the game to go along with seven rebounds.
- Princess Davis scored 16 points and had six rebounds and six assists.
- Alex Nance made the first start of her collegiate career and scored 12 points and added three assists.
- Melanie Ransom had 10 points and eight rebounds in the game. Jenna Price added 10 points and seven boards.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons got off to a hot start, scoring five of the first seven points of the game. Gay then hit a three-point play to tie the game. The lead changed hands multiple times in the first quarter, with seven lead changes in the first period. Midway through the quarter, UTPB held an 8-7 lead.
 
Davis hit a layup to give the Lions back the lead. Wise then had a three-point play of her own to give the Lions a four-point lead. The Falcons went on a 5-0 run to regain the lead before a three from Wise gave the lead back to the Lions.
 
A&M-Commerce caught fire from behind the arc in the final minute. Davis hit a three with a minute to go. Jenna Price then had a three with 32 seconds remaining. After a late UTPB missed shot, Davis heaved a shot from three-quarter court and it banked in off the window to give the Lions a 26-19 lead after one quarter of play.
 
Nance had a three early in the second quarter as the Lions built their lead to eight. After both teams went scoreless for a two-minute stretch, the Lions started to get to the foul line. The Lion defense drew multiple charges in the second quarter, with Wise drawing two on back-to-back possessions as UTPB got into foul trouble. UTPB held firm, not letting the Lion lead get to far away from them. A&M-Commerce led by five halfway through the second quarter.
 
Ransom hit a three with 4:03 left in the half to give the Lions back their eight-point lead. A free throw from Nance gave the Lions a 38-29 lead, their largest of the half. A late jumper from Gay sent the Lions into halftime with a 42-34 lead.
 
Davis had 10 points at halftime, scoring all 10 in the first quarter to lead the Lions. Davis also had four assists. Gay had nine points in the first half while Nance had seven points. Wise added six points and four rebounds. The Lions shot 47 percent in the first half and 67 percent from behind the arc in the first half.
 
Nance hit a three to open up the second half as the Lions built their lead back up to nine points. The teams traded buckets throughout the first half of the quarter and A&M-Commerce led 49-40 midway through the third.
 
The Falcons then started to rally, scoring seven in a row to cut the Lion lead to just two points. A&M-Commerce scored seven of the next nine to bring their lead back up to seven points. Wise had two jumpers in the rally. UTPB fought right back to tie the game at 55 with a minute in the quarter. A free throw from Wise took the Lions into the fourth quarter with a 57-56 lead.
 
The Falcons retook the lead with a jumper to open up the fourth quarter. The Falcons eventually built a three-point lead before the Lions scored four in a row to take back the lead. UTPB then went on another run to lead 64-60 with 5:44 left in the fourth quarter.
 
Ransom scored five points in a row for the Lions as the teams continued to fight until the end. Davis had a layup to cut the UTPB lead to just one with 2:51 remaining. The Falcons then hit a jumper to lead by three.
 
After turnovers by both teams, there was just under a minute remaining in regulation. Down by three, the Lions drew up a play in a timeout. Price had the ball and found Wise open at the three-point line. Wise drilled the three to tie the game at 71.
 
UTPB then had possession and found space for a shot. Ransom closed the gap quickly and blocked a three-pointer. The Lions took over possession with 14 seconds left and a chance to win the game. Gay found space for a three at the buzzer but it hit off the rim and the game went into overtime.
 
The Lions dominated the overtime period, scoring the first nine points of the extra time. After a couple of UTPB baskets, the Lions closed out the game, building their lead to a game-high 11 points at the buzzer.