DALLAS – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team jumped out to a gigantic first quarter lead and cruised to a 73-49 win over St. Mary's University in the Lone Star Conference opener at Moody Coliseum on Thursday night.
 
With the win, the Lions move to 4-0 overall to start the season and 1-0 in the LSC, while St. Mary's falls to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in league play. The Lions have now won their first four games of a season for the first time in program history.
 
A&M-Commerce will now host St. Edward's on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Field House in Commerce.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions outscored the Rattlers, 34-4, in the first quarter, shooting 84.6 percent (11-of-13) from the field, 4-of-4 from three-point range, and 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
- For the game, A&M-Commerce shot 38.1 percent (24-of-63) from the field, 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from behind the arc, and 19-of-26 (73.1 percent) at the charity stripe.
- Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville) notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and also blocked two shots.
- Chania Wright (DeSoto) led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting with five made three-pointers. She also had four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
- Dyani Robinson (Cypress – Langham Creek) scored 11 points off the bench.
- The Lions forced 24 StMU turnovers and converted them into 26 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Maddison Glass opened the scoring with a steal and fastbreak layup to start a massive Lion run to open the contest. A&M-Commerce scored the first 11 points of the game and did not allow a Rattler field goal until the 5:49 mark of the quarter. After StMU's first made shot of the game, A&M-Commerce roared on a 14-0 rally and led 25-2 with two minutes to go after a pair of Bryant baskets.
 
The Lions closed the quarter by making the last eight field goals they attempted, while limiting St. Mary's to 2-of-11 shooting in the period. A&M-Commerce was up 34-4 after the first 10 minutes.
 
The Rattlers calmed down and attempted to come back in the game, and even though the Lions went through a pair of cold streaks, the early lead was far too much to overcome. A&M-Commerce made three field goals in the second quarter to St. Mary's seven, and still led 44-21 at the half. The Lions shot 50 percent (14-of-28) in the first half, and Bryant's 11 points led all scorers at the break.
 
Wright opened the second half with a three-pointer to push the lead to 26, but the Rattlers went on a nine-point run to drop the lead to 17 points at 47-30. The Lions responded with a 10-point rally on a Bryant three-point play, a Wright layup, a layup by Agang Tac (Sachse), and three free throws. The Lions were up 57-33 after 30 minutes of action.
 
The Lions jumped on the Rattlers again at the beginning of the fourth quarter to close the game in style. A&M-Commerce scored the first nine points of the quarter, and Wright's layup at the 6:35 mark of the quarter doubled the score up at 66-33. The Rattlers managed to cut the lead to 24 points in the final moments, but the constant pressure by A&M-Commerce throughout the night allowed the blue and gold to earn the win.