COMMERCE— The No. 4 Texas A&M University Commerce women's basketball team scored a tightly contested 59-54 win over No. 8 Lubbock Christian on Thursday night. The Lions jumped out to a big lead in the first half, and made plays down the stretch to preserve the lead and get the win.
The win brings the Lions to 20-0 on the season, and 14-0 in the Lone Star Conference. It is the fourth 20-win season in program history, and the third under head coach Jason Burton. The defending National Champion Lady Chaps fall to 16-3 on the year and 10-3 in conference play.
The Lions return to the floor on Saturday as they host Angelo State at 2 p.m. The game will be played at the Field House. The game is part of Fill the Field House, presented by the Enrollment Management Division.
HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME
- On getting to 20-win mark: "That's back-to-back 20-win seasons, that's never happened here before. To get 20 wins in January, that's incredible. And this was the toughest test. To get a win against the defending national champions, that's a great ball club. They are so well coached and so poised down the stretch. Throughout the whole game, they didn't get rattled. And I thought our girls did the same thing, they didn't get rattled. They didn't get worried. They stuck to what we do, and we had to grind it out. I'm so proud of this team and how we played tonight."
- On the rowdy crowd: "The crowd and the atmosphere was incredible. I know if we can finish number one in the region and have this atmosphere, it is going to be really tough for anyone to beat us here. This was one of the greatest atmospheres I've ever had here in my time as a coach. Our students and our community showed up, and we have to keep that going. This is the type of environment that you live for. What a factor they were today."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE -- NOTES
- Chania Wright (DeSoto) led the way with 12 points, including three three-pointers.
- Alexus Jones (Lewisville – Aledo) added nine points, all of which came in the first half. She also had three assists.
- Agang Tac (Garland – Sachse) added eight points and six rebounds, while DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) had seven points.
- The Lions took 21 more shots than LCU in the contest, with 18 offensive rebounds. The Lions had 11 second chance points. On the defensive side, the Lions allowed LCU to grab only four offensive rebounds.
- The Lions had just seven turnovers in the game, and only one turnover in the first half. LCU had 17 turnovers in the game, which led to 17 Lion points.
- The Lions remain as one of three undefeated teams in Division II as Drury (Mo.) and Ashland (Ohio) each won Thursday to move to 20-0 on the year as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jones converted a three-point play early in the game to give the Lions a lead before LCU then went on a 7-0 run to take a lead. Midway through the quarter, LCU led 9-7. After LCU hit a three to take a five-point lead, the Lions then closed the quarter on a 14-0 run. Kernal hit a pair of jumpers as part of the rally, and Mykiel Burleson (Pflugerville) also had a pair of shots fall, including a buzzer-beating three that sent the Lions into the second quarter with a 21-12 lead.
Jones hit a three to open the second quarter as the Lions took a double figure lead. LCU went on a small run to cut the Lion lead to seven points. After the teams traded hoops, the Lions again went on a large run, scoring 10 unanswered. The Lions muscled their way into the lane to get their points. Tac had a pair of shots go in the lane, and Kernal converted a three point play late as the Lions led 39-21 at halftime.
The Lions had just one turnover in the first half and caused 11 LCU giveaways, which led to 12 points. The Lions also had 11 second chance points off of 10 offensive rebounds. The Lions shot 23 more shots in the first half, shooting 43 times in the half.
LCU started the second half on an 8-0 run to cut the Lion lead to just 10 points after two minutes of play. The Lions pushed their lead back to 14 points at the four-minute mark before the Lady Chaps closed the quarter on another 10-0 run. The Lions led 49-45 at the end of the third quarter.
The final period was a defensive slugfest, as both teams struggled to score the rest of the game, with smothering defense and limited shot opportunities on each side of the floor. The Lions pushed their lead back to six before LCU cut the lead to just two points at the midway mark. Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.) went on a run of her own, as she scored five points in a row on three possessions, including a driving layup with 23 seconds left to put the Lions back up by three points. After LCU missed a shot, Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville) closed out the game with two free throws.
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