NEW ORLEANS – Trailing by as much as 15 in Thursday night's game at Lakefront Arena, the Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team came from behind to down the New Orleans Privateers 74-69 to remain undefeated in conference play.
 
The Lions held New Orleans scoreless for over seven minutes in the fourth quarter to move to 6-0 in Southland Conference play and 8-10 overall. The Privateers fall to 2-13 overall and 1-6 in conference play.
 
Laila Lawrence (Lewisville) scored 18 for the Lions on 8 for 13 shooting, while DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) scored 16, and Jordyn Beaty (Woodville) added a career-best 14.
 
The Lions lead 5-0 in the game, but the Privateers tied the game at seven and then scored seven of the next nine to lead by five. New Orleans closed out the first quarter leading 21-15.
 
New Orleans started the second quarter on a 11-2 run to go up by 15, the largest lead by either team in the game. The Lions ended the first half making five of their last six shots to cut it to 43-36 at the half. UNO shot 7 for 12 from the distance, while the Lions shot 2 for 5 in the first half. A&M-Commerce outshoot New Orleans, 51.6 percent to 50.0 percent in the first half.
 
The Privateers forced 13 turnovers in the first half and scored 19 off them, while the Lions had 11 points off turnovers in the first half, they also forced 13 turnovers. Lawrence, who came in to the game second in the Southland in field goal percentage, missed three of her first four shots, but made three of her next four for team-leading eight points at the half.
 
UNO's Justice Ross made three three pointers and knocked down two of her three free throw attempts for 13 points in the first half.
 
A&M-Commerce cut to within five in the third quarter, but the two teams scored 17 points each in the third quarter to keep the lead at seven for the Privateers at the end of the third. Beaty scored eight in the third quarter for the Lions.
 
After New Orleans scored the first two points of the fourth quarter, the Lions went on a 10-0 run to take their first lead since the first quarter, holding the Privateers scoreless for over four minutes. After falling behind for the first time in the second half, the Privateers served back a 7-0 run to go up 69-63. The Lions did not allow a point for the rest of the game, ending the game on a 11-0 run.
 
They took a two-point lead on an and-one by Lawrence and extended it five on a three pointer from Kernal with 15.4 seconds to go.
 
The 15-point deficit that the Lions fought back from against the Privateers is the largest come-from-behind win of the season and largest since a 16-point come-from-behind win at Ouachita Baptist on 11/19/21.
 
Nykale Cramer (Oklahoma City, Okla.) returned to the floor on Thursday after missing the previous nine games due to injury. She knocked down a three pointer in her two minutes of action.
 
Kernal, Lawrence, and Zaria Collins (Plano) grabbed team-best six rebounds each. Mia Deck (Frisco – Lone Star) scored seven, while Dorian Norris (Lake Dallas) had six, and four points each came from Olivia Russell (Auburn Hills, Mich.) and Collins.
 
Ross was held scoreless in the second half by the Lions, while Tara Green also scored 13.
 
The Lions outshot the Privateers, 49.2 percent to 40.6 percent in the game. This was the first meeting ever between the two teams.

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The Lions head across the lake to Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday at 5 p.m.