COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team continue its five-game road trip this week. The Lions will face Angelo State on Thursday and Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.
 
Angelo State
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce (15-7, 11-3 LSC) vs. Angelo State (16-4, 11-3 LSC)
WHERE: Junell Center in San Angelo, Texas
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 8 at 5:30 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: angelosports.com/showcase?Live=1033
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (7-11, 5-5 LSC)
WHERE: The SPEC in Kingsville, Texas
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 10 at 4 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: boxcast.tv/view/wbb-vs-am-commerce-391020
 
The Lions are coming off splitting their two road games last week. The Lions got a two-point win over Western New Mexico and a four-point loss to Eastern New Mexico. Head coach Jason Burton knew it would not be easy going into either venue. He liked the way his team fought against Eastern New Mexico, but hopes the team can finish better down the stretch in future games
 
"I thought we played a good game for the most part but we didn't execute down the stretch like we should in the last three or four minutes of the game," he said. "Eastern New Mexico took advantage of that. I thought they played really well and we came up just a little bit short."
 
While the loss is disappointing, the film can help the team improve and find weaknesses they didn't see before. Junior Princess Davis is confident the team has corrected the mistakes and will be even better now from the experience.
 
"I think we have learned from our mistakes in film," she said. "I think we are mindset is good and we are refocusing ourselves. We are ready to get back to the game plan and continue to take it one game at a time. We are going on the road to beat Angelo State."
 
The Lions face an opponent in Angelo State that is tied with A&M-Commerce for the conference lead. Burton knows the team's opportunity for its first conference championship in a decade is within reach, if the team can play well and execute for complete games.
 
"I think our team understands the importance of the game on Thursday and the importance of these next six games and how they can really shape our postseason," he said. "We control our own destiny right now. We are looking ahead to what it takes to beat Angelo and then beat Kingsville on Saturday."
 
The Rambelles feature the most recent Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week. The teams battled to a 78-74 finish that fell in favor of the Lions. Burton knows the team will have to have a similar effort to win in San Angelo, and knows the team will have to play even better on the road to get the win.
 
"They are a really good team and they have been playing well all year," he said. "I think the Lions have been playing really well all year as well. We have to remain confident and know who we are and continue to do the things we have done well. We have done a really good job at rebounding. That will be a key. They will have more size than us but I thought we have had a good mindset of making sure we block out and crash the boards on both sides of the floor.
 
"We have played very good defense as well. That is going to be an emphasis for us on Thursday is making sure we force tough shots for them. We have to start with getting back on transition defense. We gave up too many transition buckets to them last game and we will do a better job this game of slowing down that transition attack."
 
As a leader in the locker room who has been with the team for four years, Davis knows the importance of the game in front of the team. She knows the team will have to play well and play hard. That is what her message will be to her teammates in the locker room.
 
"My message will be to stick with what we do," Davis said. "We have to stop ball early in transition and rebound. We have to stick to a couple of our best principles, which is rebounding and defense. We have to play hard and bring effort."
 
With six games left in the conference season, there is little room for error. The Lions are tied for the conference lead but they are not far ahead of the third and fourth place teams. Burton knows the team needs to have a playoff mindset, and that is what he has communicated with his players.
 
"Every game right now is a playoff game for us," he said. "We have an opportunity to win the conference. We are tied for first place and every game is a playoff game for us. Every game impacts our regional rankings and every game impacts our conference seeding and our ability to win conference. Every game is important. We have to make sure we come into every game with the right mindset. Every game is a big game. That has been the focus of our team and will remain the focus as we go through the conference tournament and hopefully the playoffs."
 
Having been in first place for the last two weeks, Burton sees how opponents react. He knows his team will face an opponent's best effort every night. He hopes his team will also be able to elevate their own games and give all they have to each game.
 
"Every team is playing well right now," he said. "Any time you are at the top of the conference, and we have been in first place the last few games, you are going to get every else's best game. And that is what we have to understand. We are going to get everybody's best and if we don't bring our best, we are susceptible to lose a game. We have to make sure we come out with the right focus and the right mindset."