COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team makes history on Friday, welcoming Houston to Commerce for the Fill the Field House game. The Cougars are the first Power Five opponent to visit A&M-Commerce. 
 
WHO: Houston at A&M-Commerce
WHERE: Commerce | Field House
WHEN: Friday, December 8 | 7 p.m.
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 5-3 on the season, while Houston is 5-1. 
RANKINGS: Neither team is nationally ranked, but the Lions are ranked No. 229 in the first NCAA NET Rankings, while the Cougars are No. 102. 
  LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ | https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401594911
LIVE STATS: https://statb.us/b/493099
GAME NOTES: TAMUC | UH
TICKETS: LionAthletics.com/Tickets

PROMOTIONS
The full list of promotions for the game can be found HERE. 

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
• Houston is the first ever Power Five conference opponent to visit A&M-Commerce in the regular season. The Cougars are playing their first road game of the season.
• Last season, Houston went 15-16, which included a two-point loss in the American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game. Houston is 5-1 this season, including wins over Air Force and SLC foe New Orleans.
• Houston is the Division I leader in steals per game, second in bench points per game, fourth in offensive rebounds per game, and third in turnover margin.

QUICK GLANCE AT THE LIONS
• The Lions picked up another last-minute win on Tuesday, beating Southern Utah, who went to the NCAA Tournament last season and the defending WAC Tournament champion.
• A&M-Commerce has won two in a row and three of its last four. The Lions are 4-0 at home this season and have picked up three wins over Division I opponents, which is the most during non-conference play in school history.
• Mary Delgado started the last two games and is second in the conference in scoring, while Mia Deck is third in rebounding (6.5) and steals (2.1).
 
BRAND NEW WATERS
• The Lions are in the second season in NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference.
• This is the first time the Lions are changing conferences in program history.
• A&M-Commerce is eligible for the NCAA Tournament in the 2026-27 season.

BACK-TO-BACK LAST-SECOND WINNERS
• The Lions have scored the go-ahead basket in the last minute in each of its last two wins.
• Mia Deck scored the game-winner at Idaho, while Ahmya Boyce had the game-winner against Southern Utah.

SETTING THE PACE
• A&M-Commerce's 5 wins and .625 winning percentage is tied with Utah Tech as the best among all Division I schools that are currently in the reclassifying process.

HOT FROM DEEP
• The Lions have made double-digit triples in three games, including 14 three-pointers twice in a game, which is tied for second in school history. They also lead the Southland in three-pointers made.

UNPRECENTED START TO THE SEASON
• Entering Tuesday, the Lions are 5-3 on the season.
• The five wins are most in non-conference play during the Division I era.
• The Lions have three wins over NCAA Division I opponents in non-conference play, which also surpasses last season's mark.
• In the first net rankings, the Lions are No. 229.

LIONS' RAIN THREES TO BEAT TRAILBLAZERS
• Despite trailing by double-digits in the first half, the Lions shot 14 three pointers to pick up the win.
• The win snapped a two-game losing streak and is the first win over a Division I team this season.
• Both Mary Delgado and Ahmya Boyce scored 19 in the game, with Boyce hitting six three pointers.

SLOW START DOOMS LIONS AT TECH
• Texas Tech scored the first 29 points of the game in Lubbock.
• It is the first time since women's basketball went to quarters that the Lions were held without a basket in a quarter, being scoreless in the first quarter.

JUST FELL SHORT OF THE LOBOS
• Mia Deck's shot just fell short at the New Mexico in the 75-74 loss to the Lobos.
• The win for A&M-Commerce would have been the second over a Division I non-conference opponent and first on the road.
 
STARTED ON A HIGH NOTE
• The Lions' 2-0 to start the season was the fourth in the last five years and for the first time in the Division I era.
• By beating LeTourneau, the Lions have won their season opener for the fifth straight season.
• The Lions last lost in the season-opening game to start the 2018-19 season.
 
A NEW ERA
• Valerie King takes over as the Lions' coach this season, she was previously an assistant coach at New Mexico.
• This is the first season since 2013-14, that the Lions have a new coach.
• King is joined on the bench by assistant coaches: Tad Wedel, Brechelle Beachum, Trevor Moyer, and Jaedyn De La Cerda.
 
NEWSOME SHINES IN DEBUT
• Jordyn Newsome made her mark in Lion Country with a 24-point performance in her Lion debut.
• She knocked down six three pointers as well in her first game inside the Field House.
• She is third in the conference in three-point percentage. 

DELGADO LEADING THE WAY
• Mary Delgado is the team-leader in scoring and is second in the Southland, despite coming off the bench in the first six games of the season. 

PLENTY OF NEW FACES
• This season, the Lions bring back just seven players from last season, and welcome seven newcomers for the 14-person roster.
• Of the seven newcomers, three are true freshmen, while the rest are transfers.
• The Lion freshmen hail from Austria, Spain and Texas, while among the transfers, two are from the junior college ranks and two are from fellow NCAA Division I schools, both from the Sun Belt.
 
PLAYING THE BEST OF THE BEST
• A&M-Commerce faces four major conference opponents in the non-conference portion of the schedule.
• The Lions played at Texas Tech on Friday, are at Washington State on November 29, host Houston on December 8, and at Texas A&M on December 31.
• This season, the Lions face three teams that played in the NCAA Tournament, while playing two that played in the NIT.
 
SUCCESS IN THE POSTSEASON
• The Lions' run in the Southland Conference tournament ended in the semifinals last season, ending a run of three straight championship game appearances.
• The game against Southeastern was the fifth consecutive season the Lions were playing in the conference tournament semifinals.
• A&M-Commerce has won two postseason games for each of the last three seasons and won three the last two years. 
 
HISTORIC START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
• For the first time since 2019-20, the Lions started 6-0 in conference play, last year. 
• That season, the Lions advanced all the way to the conference tournament championship game and made the NCAA Division II Tournament.
  
ENDED ON A HIGH NOTE
• The Lions ended their Division II era with four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and won a NCAA Tournament game in each of the last two seasons.
• A&M-Commerce has five postseason appearances in program history, with four coming in the last four seasons.
• The Lions were ranked as high as No. 1 in the D2SIDA rankings and No. 2 in the WBCA rankings last season.