FRISCO - The third-seeded Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team held seventh-seeded UT Tyler without a field goal for nearly six minutes in the fourth quarter on the way to a 58-52 victory in the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Women's Basketball Tournament in the Comerica Center on Saturday night.

The Lions (26-3 overall) advance to the LSC Tournament Championship game for the third consecutive season and the fourth time in program history. They will face top-seeded West Texas A&M (22-10 overall) at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster and at LoneStarConference.org.

Dyani Robinson (Cy Creek) scored 21 points to lead all scorers while also passing out four assists and grabbing four rebounds. Asiyha Smith (Conway, Ark.) netted 14 points with four rebounds and three assists, including a perfect 6-of-6 night at the free throw line. Chania Wright (DeSoto) scored 10 points, with clutch baskets in the second half.

Both teams made 18 field goals and four three-pointers, but the difference for A&M-Commerce came on the boards and at the charity stripe. The Lions held a 47-27 rebounding advantage, with 13 offensive boards - which turned into 12 second chance points - to the Patriots' two offensive boards for no second chance points, TAMUC also went 18-of-22 (81.8 percent) at the free throw line, while UTT went 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) at the stripe.


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The Lions trailed for the entirety of the first quarter, shooting 33.3 percent from the field in the quarter. Two three pointers from Smith to end the quarter pulled the Lions within 12-10 to end the quarter. Smith and Robinson combined to score all 10 points for the Lions. 

The Patriots remained up front for the majority of the second quarter as well. The Lions shot 3 for 12 from the field in the first eight minutes of the second quarter, trailing by as much as five points. 

The 23 points for the Lions came from Robinson, Smith, and Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.), who knocked down two free throws to the game at 23 with 38 seconds left in the half. Robinson swished in a three at the buzzer to give the Lions their first lead of the game. She had 14 points in the first half. 

The Patriots stormed back from being down five by going on a 14-2 run to lead by seven once again. Falling behind by seven points, the Lions made their last three shots in the third to trim the deficit to 40-38 at the end of the third. 

Louis knocked down two free throws at the 8:54 marks of the fourth to regain a one-point lead. Wright extended it to three with a transition layup. The Lions held the Patriots without a point for three minutes and 19 seconds, while building an eight-point lead in the stretch. 

UT Tyler did not make a field goal for over five minutes, all they had during that stretch were four free throws.

DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) fouled out of the game with two minutes left, but not before grabbing 10 rebounds. Louis grabbed 13 rebounds on Tuesday night to increase her total to 27 this weekend at the LSC Tournament. The lone Lion to score off the bench was Laila Lawrence (Lewisville), who had two points and five rebounds. 

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