MOSCOW, Idaho – Mia Deck rolled in a layup with 8.6 seconds left in Friday night's game at ICCU Arena to give the Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team a 72-71 win over the Idaho Vandals in the program's first non-conference road win in the Division I era.
There was a total of 19 lead changes and eight ties in the game, but with 16 seconds left, Amalie Langer hit a layup to put Idaho up 71-70. Deck received the inbound pass following a Lion timeout and rolled in the layup to put the Lions up with a few seconds to go.
MIA DECK GAME-WINNER HIGHLIGHT
Idaho was out of timeouts, as Sarah Schmitt's layup attempt was blocked by
Ahmya Boyce (Newport News, Va.), but Idaho regained possession with less than two seconds left. The Vandals were not able to get a shot up before the clock expired and the Lions picked up their first road win of the season.
The Lions are 4-3 on the season, with Friday night being their first road non-conference win in nearly two years and the first road win of this season. Idaho falls to 4-3 on the season, with all three losses coming at home.
A&M-Commerce won both ends of the home-and-home series over Idaho in the last two seasons and this season, has four non-conference wins, including two over Division I opponents, which both surpass last season's totals.
The Vandals had the lead for most of the first quarter until Boyce tied the game at 15 with 1:16 left and
Cora Horvath (Obertwart, Austria) hit a jumper with 27 seconds left for the Lions' first lead of the game. Idaho answered with a jumper right before the buzzer and tied the game at 17.
For the first four minutes of the second quarter, neither side had a lead bigger than one possession, until a 7-0 run by Idaho for a 34-27 lead. The Lions cut the lead down to two at halftime and took a 37-36 lead early in the third quarter.
Mary Delgado (Miami, Fla.) scored 10 points in the third quarter and put the Lions up by eight as A&M-Commerce outscored Idaho, 22-12, in the third.
The Lions continued to lead by eight at the 7:58 mark of the fourth quarter, but Idaho went on a 11-2 scoring run to lead 63-62, including scoring nine straight. Both teams exchanged the lead for the rest of the game, with the score difference being more than a point just once.
Idaho trailed by three in the final minute but went on a 4-0 run to take the lead, before Deck's layup put A&M-Commerce back up front.
Deck recorded a double-double for the second time in three games. She totaled 18 points, 13 rebounds, which is a new career-high, as well as five steals, four assists, and two blocks. She was the team leader in all those categories.
Jordyn Newsome (Irving – MacArthur) added 16 points and four rebounds, while Delgado, in her first start of the season, posted 14 points and two rebounds. Off the bench,
Dorian Norris (Lake Dallas) finished the game with 10 points and two rebounds.
Hope Butera did most of the damage for Idaho, recording 23 points and 16 rebounds. The Vandals outrebounded the Lions, 45-32.
POST GAME INTERVIEW
UP NEXT
The Lions are home for their next two games, which come against a team that played in the NCAA Tournament last season, Southern Utah, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and the first Power Five conference opponent to come to the Field House for a regular season game, Houston, next Friday at 7 p.m.
Tickets for both games can be purchased now at
LionAthletics.com/Tickets.
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