FRISCO– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team defeated Eastern New Mexico 77-70 in the quarterfinal round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament on Friday night. The Lions built an early lead and withstood the Greyhounds final push to pick up the win.
 
The win brings the Lions to 20-9 on the season, their third ever 20-win season. The win advances A&M-Commerce to the semifinal round. The Greyhounds fall to 19-10 and they are eliminated from the tournament.
 
The Lions will face West Texas A&M in the semifinal round. The game will be played on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Comerica Center in Frisco. The Lion men will play against Angelo State at 12 p.m. For ticket information, click HERE.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Princess Davis (Shreveport, La.) led the Lions with 25 points, scoring 10 baskets, including three shots behind the arc. She also had four rebounds and three assists. By playing in the game, she tied the program record for most games played in a career.
- Alexus Jones (Lewisville – Aledo) added 14 points, including 12 from beyond the arc. She also drew eight fouls in the game.
- Chania Wright (DeSoto) also finished in double figures with 13 points.
- Ekaterina Zhibareva (Liske, Russia) had eight points while Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville) had six points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
- The Lions won their 20^th game of the season, just the third time in program history the team has reached the 20-win mark. Two of those seasons have happened under Coach Burton.
- The Lions shot 45 percent from the field and 50 percent from three in the game.
- The Lions never trailed in the game, leading by as many as 17.
 
POSTGAME THOUGHTS FROM ...
...Head Coach Jason Burton:
- Thoughts on the game: "We knew we were going to hit adversity sometime in the game. It's happened all year. It is all about withstanding and overcoming adversity. I thought we did a great job. Alexus Jones played huge. She knocked down some big shots. Then Princess was on a mission. For her to have a game like that and to be able to continue playing, it was big."
- On the mindset in the final minutes after ENMU got back in the game: "Our mindset was to not get rattled. We kept calm and composed. It is a game of runs. You know that everyone will make a run at some point. We have been there before. I trust the ball in Princess' hands to make the right decision. We got a stop, she made a bucket and we slowly extended the lead back out. This is a team that doesn't get rattled. They are going to play hard until the end. It was no different tonight."
- On reaching the 20-win mark: "Our mission this year is to make the NCAA Tournament. That's every team's goal. I think this win pushes us over the top, with what happened in the RMAC tonight. That's our goal. And not just to make the tournament, but to make a run in the tournament. I think we have a team that can do that."
 
... Junior Alexus Jones:
On the defensive effort: "Defensively we just needed to pressure them and make them feel uncomfortable. Also, we had to dig down in the post."
On drawing a late charge to keep ENMU off the board: "I knew [Clay] had four fouls and that got her out of the game. Taking her out of the game was going to help us, because she is so dominant. I just put my body on the line for my team and took the charge."
 
... Senior Princess Davis:
On her mindset in the game: "I came in with the mindset that it was all or nothing. I tried to do whatever I could to give my team the lead and help my team out. My teammates had my back. It is only right that I had theirs."
On closing out the game with a big shot: "One of my biggest things to focus on while I am playing is finishing. I didn't finish as many shots as I wanted to tonight. But when we needed it, I was able to finish that one. It's a credit to my team."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions opened the game with a three. After ENMU responded with a three of their own, the Lions went on a 6-0 to take a 9-3 lead midway through the quarter. The Greyhounds fought back to bring the Lion lead to just two before the Lions again went running. The Lions hit threes on four consecutive possessions to take a 23-11 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Lions pushed their lead to 17 early in the second quarter, including threes from Jones and Davis. ENMU battled to cut the Lion lead to 11 points at the midway mark. The teams traded runs as the Lions pushed their lead to 16 again before the Greyhounds cut it back to 10. The Lions led 42-30 at halftime.
 
Davis had 14 points in the first half, including a pair of threes. Jones added nine points, all from behind the arc. Zhibareva added eight points. The Lions shot 46 percent form the field, including 54 percent from behind the arc.
 
The teams went back and forth early in the third quarter before the Greyhounds began to chip away at the Lion lead. The Lions went cold, being held without a field goal for nearly four minutes, allowing ENMU to cut the Lion lead to just six points at the midway mark. The Lions then held the Greyhounds scoreless over a five-minute span to bring their lead back up to double figures. The Lions finished the quarter on a 13-2 run to lead 59-42 after three.
 
The Greyhounds started the fourth on a 12-0 run to cut the Lion lead just five. The Lions got in early foul trouble in the quarter. The Lions stopped the bleeding on a three from Burleson. The Lions brought their lead back up to nine points before the Greyhounds responded to cut the Lion lead to just two points. In the waning seconds, Davis drove into the lane and made a contested layup to put the Lions back up by four. After an ENMU turnover, the Lions were forced to make free throws. Davis drained a pair and Wright made two more to preserve the lead.