LUBBOCK – Another DesiRay Kernal double-double and a strong defensive performance led the second-seeded Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team to a 60-54 win over third-seeded West Texas A&M in the Lone Star Conference Championship semifinal game on Friday night.
 
The Lions move to 13-2 on the season with the victory, while the Lady Buffs are 15-6.

A&M-Commerce advances to the LSC Championship Game against No. 1 Lubbock Christian at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Chaps defeated Cameron, 84-69, in the other semifinal.
 
NOTES
- The Lions and LCU will meet in the LSC Championship Game for the second consecutive season. This marks the first LSC Championship Game rematch since 2008 and 2009.
- A&M-Commerce will appear in its third LSC Women's Championship game, winning the title in the Field House in 2007, and falling to LCU in Frisco last year.
- The 54 points allowed is the fewest allowed by the Lions in an LSC Tournament game. The previous low was 55 to Tarleton in a quarterfinal loss in 2017. The previous low in a TAMUC win was 57 in a 65-57 win over Angelo State in the 2007 semifinals.
- This is the Lions' second-ever postseason win over WT and eighth win in the series overall. This is also the first win on a neutral floor over the Lady Buffs.
 
HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME
On this tight nature of the semifinal:
"We jumped out to an early lead and held it. It was back and forth all night. That's a type of game we hadn't really played in this year. You never really got separation either way and could never really get comfortable. For us to play the way we played today lets me know a lot about this team. You're hoping that in a 28-game regular season, you kind of get a game or two like that and experience it. We haven't really had that this year until now, in game 15 for us."
 
On the team after the game:
"They were gassed, but they know what's at stake tomorrow. It wasn't just about this win, it was also about the next win. That's the most locked in I've seen this team play in a long time. It reminded me of us at home last year against Lubbock. Somehow we've got to bottle up that same thing we did today and do it tomorrow."
 
On the quick turnaround for the championship game:
"This team has done a really good job of going into a room, listening to a game plan and executing it. That's we have to do for tomorrow. The most important thing now is to get rest, get hydrated because it's going to be a grind it out game."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Kernal (Newton, Kan.) scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Lions, who shot 34.5 percent (19-of-55) from the floor.
- Chania Wright (DeSoto) scored 19 points, including four key three-pointers.
- The Lions held WT nearly 13 points under its previous scoring average, forcing 22 Lady Buff turnovers. The Lady Buffs shot 44.7 percent (21-of-47) from the floor, but only 1-of-7 from three-point range.
- A&M-Commerce had a 36-26 rebounding advantage and scored 19 second chance points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lady Buffs started the game on the right foot for the lower seed, making three of their first five shots for an early 7-6 lead before the Lion defense put the clamps on their maroon-clad foes. From the 6:53 mark of the first quarter, WT missed its final eight field goal attempts of the period. In the meantime, the Lions were not sparkling from the field, but took advantage of free throw opportunities. Kernal scored seven points down the stretch, and the Lions notched the final seven points of the period for a 14-6 lead after the first stanza.
 
Kernal netted a three-point play in the early stages of the second period, and layups by Wright and Agang Tac (Sachse) allowed the Lions to claim their largest lead of the night at 13 points with 6:25 left in the half. The Lions still led by 12 with 2:35 to go on a layup by Ravae Payne (Pearland), but WT closed the half on a 7-3 run to narrow the gap to 28-20 at the intermission.
 
The third quarter saw momentum volley back and forth between the teams. The Lions held a nine-point lead with 2:54 left in the frame, but LSC Player of the Year Lexy Hightower scored four straight free throws to bring the game back to two possessions at 37-32. Tac hit a layup and Wright drained a three to put the lead back in double digits, but the Lady Buffs scored a late basket to keep the margin at eight points entering the final frame.
 
Kernal started the fourth quarter with a three-point play, and the Lions had an 11-point lead with 8:44 to go, but the Lady Buffs showed their postseason experience and did not pack it in. A five-point WT run cut the advantage down to 54-50 with 1:22 on the clock, but Wright drained her most important basket of the night – a corner three-pointer – with a minute to play, putting the Lions back on top by seven. The senior canned three free throws in the final minute, allowing the Lions to hold on for the win and their second straight LSC Championship Game appearance.