CANYON – Becoming the first player in Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball history to advance to the NCAA Tournament for four straight seasons, Chania Wright powered the second-seeded Lions to advance to the NCAA South Central Regional Semifinal with an 80-74 win over the Colorado School of Mines on Friday afternoon at the First United Bank Center.
 
The Lions win an NCAA Tournament game for the second straight season and advance to face the third-seeded Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps at 5 p.m. on Saturday in Canyon. The Lions and the Lady Chaps are meeting in the postseason for the third straight season.
 
Wright (DeSoto) totaled 25 points on 8 for 15 shooting and added three assists as well. Dyani Robinson (Langham Creek) added 18 points, seven rebounds, a steal, and led the team with seven assists. DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) was scoreless in the first half, but scored 11 points in the second half and secured a double-double with 10 rebounds. She also had two steals and an assist.
 
Off the bench, Symmone James (McKinney – Boyd) grabbed eight rebounds, while scoring four points and blocking a shot. She played career-best 22 minutes. Laila Lawrence (Lewisville) totaled eight points and four rebounds.
 
Asiyha Smith (Conway, Ark.) and Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.) had two points each, while Olivia Russell (Auburn Hills, Mich.) and Jordyn Beaty (Woodville) added four points each off the bench. Russell also grabbed four rebounds.  
 
The Lions outshot the Orediggers, 52 percent to 36 percent in the game. The Colorado School of Mines had 72 field goal attempts compared to 54 for the Lions. The Lions also outrebounded the Orediggers, 44-35.


POSTGAME INTERVIEW
 
The Colorado School of Mines started the game shooting 7 for 9 and led by as much as seven points in the first five minutes of the game. Chania Wright (DeSoto) went on a personal 5-0 run to bring the Lions within two, but the Orediggers led 27-20 after the first quarter.
 
The Lions outshot the Lions, 60 percent to 59 percent in the first quarter. Trailing for most of the second quarter, the Lions went on an 8-0 run in the second quarter to take their first lead of the game at the 2:26 mark of the quarter on a layup by Olivia Russell (Auburn Hills, Mich.).
 
Wright led the Lions with 14 points in the first half, making three three pointers and shooting 5 for 7 from the field overall. The Lions shot 58.6 percent in the first half, while the Orediggers shot 7 for 27 after the opening run.
 
There was a total of four lead changes in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Robinson had five of the nine points for the Lions and gave them a 48-47 lead. After seven lead changes in the quarter, both teams were tied at 58 entering the fourth quarter. The Lions shot 10 for 12 from the line in the third quarter.
 
Kernal was scoreless through the first half, she scored six in the third quarter and added five in the fourth quarter. A&M-Commerce outrebounded Colorado Mines 5-1 to start the fourth quarter and was able to build its largest of the lead of the game until that point, 65-61, on a three by Wright.
 
Despite a scoring drought of 2 minutes and 31 seconds, the Lions remained up by two and Wright hit her fourth three pointer of the game to give the Lions a 70-65 lead with 3:25 left.
 
Down the stretch, the Lions made four straight field goals, building an eight-point lead with less than a minute to go. Wright finished the game with five made three pointers.