COMMERCE – The No. 10 Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team jumped out to a massive early lead to cruise to a xx-xx win over visiting Texas Woman's University in the Field House on Thursday evening.
 
With the win, the Lions move to 9-1 overall and 9-0 in the Lone Star Conference, while TWU is now 3-5 overall and 3-4 in league play.

The two teams will meet again at 2 p.m. Saturday in Denton at TWU's Kitty Magee Arena.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions shot 42.6 percent (29-of-68) from the field and held Texas Woman's to 39.6 percent (19-of-48) shooting.
- DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead four Lions in double-digit scoring.
- Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.) scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
- Dyani Robinson (Cypress – Langham Creek) and Ravae Payne (Pearland) each scored 10 points and passed out two assists.
- The Lions tied the program record for fewest points allowed in the quarter, allowing only four points in the first 10 minutes of action.

HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions rushed out to a commanding lead in the first quarter, thanks to stifling defense. The Pioneers missed their first 10 field goal attempts of the game and did not convert from the field until the final seconds of the quarter. By then, the Lions had shot 50 percent from the floor to earn an 18-4 lead after 10 minutes of action.
 
Conversely, the second quarter was a shooting exhibition for both sides, as the teams combined to make well over half of the shots taken in the quarter. A&M-Commerce pushed the lead to as many as 27 points with just over two minutes until the break before a minor TWU surge cut the lead to 20. A pair of late Kernal free throws allowed the Lions to lead 43-21 at the intermission.
 
The Lions shot 50 percent (16-of-32) from the floor in the half, making 8-of-16 shots in each quarter. Kernal and Louis led all scorers with nine points apiece in the half. Kernal had six rebounds, as the Lions were dominant on the boards with a 23-8 advantage at the break.
 
The third quarter saw a less hectic pace, as the Lions didn't score a field goal in the final 5:36 of the frame despite scoring well early. This allowed TWU to cut the lead down to 56-38 with 10 minutes to play.
 
Any Pioneer hopes of narrowing the lead further were dashed early in the fourth quarter, as Payne hit a layup followed by a Kernal personal five-point run. The Lion reserves had the chance to close out the game and the crowd erupted on an Ashley Shipley (Tucumcari, N.M.) bucket and a pair of three-pointers by Cyliest Smith (Mansfield – Legacy).