COMMERCE – The No. 2/7 ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team extended its winning streak to nine games on Saturday with a 78-52 win over the St. Mary's Rattlers on Senior Day in the Field House.
 
Following the Lions' win, Chania Wright (DeSoto) and Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.) were honored with a special Senior Day ceremony.
 
The Lions improve their overall record to 22-2 and Lone Star Conference record to 10-2. With three conference games left, the Lions are in second place and just a half game back of the top spot, but their next two games come against teams that are in the top four of the LSC standings.
 
After a 4-4 tie to start the game, the Lions held the Rattlers without a made field goal for three minutes and 49 seconds, forcing the Rattlers to miss eight shots during that stretch. The Lions built a 14-6 advantage as a result.
 
The Lions ended the first quarter making five of their last six shots and had a 23-17 lead. Wright had six points and two steals in the first quarter, while Dyani Robinson (Langham Creek) had five points.
 
Laila Lawrence (Lewisville) was held to two points on Thursday night, her fewest total in any conference game this season. The freshman responded with 11 points in the first half on Saturday and grabbed four rebounds as well.
 
Over the final seven minutes and 18 seconds of the second quarter, the Lions outscored the Rattlers, 16 to 1, and built a 43-21 lead at halftime. Robinson had nine points in the first half, Asiyha Smith (Conway, Ark.) had seven, and Wright had six. Louis had three assists in the first half.
 
The Lions outscored the Rattlers by 13 in the third quarter, shooting 47.6 percent from the field. St. Mary's started the fourth quarter shooting 75 percent and scored six of the first eight points of the quarter. Michaela Kucera led St. Mary's with 12 points and Hannah Wilson had 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
St. Mary's held A&M-Commerce to just four made field goals in the fourth quarter and two free throws on its way to outscoring the Lions, 19-10, in the fourth quarter. The Rattlers also had their best scoring run of the day in the fourth quarter, going on a 6-0 run.
 
Lawrence had just two points in the second half, she had five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks as well. Robinson and Wright led the team with 14 points each and both also had four assists each. Robinson had four rebounds, while Wright had five steals and a block.
 
The Lions had 42 points in the paint and 26 fast break points. Louis totaled six points, three rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three steals. DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) accumulated six points, five rebounds, and an assist. Smith totaled nine points, two steals, a rebound, and an assist.
 
Symmone James (McKinney – Boyd) totaled nine points, five rebounds, and a block. Mia Deck (Frisco – Lone Star) added four points, three rebounds, and three assists. Dorian Norris (Lake Dallas) had one point, three rebounds, and an assist, while Victoria Hinton added two points.
 
Saturday marks the 80^th win in the Field House for coach Jason Burton.


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The Lions host Texas Woman's in the final home of the season on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Both teams are in the top four in the Lone Star Conference standings after Saturday. Tickets for Tuesday's game on 2/22/22 are $2.