SAN ANTONIO – Despite outshooting the UIW Cardinals on Saturday afternoon at the McDermott Center, the Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team fell 73-62 to the Cardinals.
 
The Lions drop to 10-7 in Southland Conference play with one game to play, while the Cardinals improve to 9-8, having won five in a row. A&M-Commerce has a one-game lead in the standings over UIW for the final first round bye. The Lions do not hold the tiebreaker over the Cardinals and can clinch the bye with a win in the season finale or a UIW loss.  
 
A&M-Commerce scored the first five points of the game and led 7-2 at the 8:18 mark of the first quarter. UIW responded with a 12-0 run and took a commanding seven-point lead. The Cardinals did not trail again in the game. UIW's lead increased to as much as nine in the first quarter.
 
The Lions, on a quick 5-0 run, cut the deficit to 26-24 with six minutes left in the first half. UIW called a timeout and scored the next five to go back up by seven. UIW hit back-to-back three pointers to end the first half leading 39-28. UIW's lead was not lower than eight in the third quarter.
 
With 2:57 left in the game, the Lions cut to within six, but UIW scored the next four to go back up by double digits and made enough free throws down the stretch for the win.
 
Laila Lawrence (Lewisville) recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) led the team with 18 points, while Zaria Collins (Plano) added 14 and had nine rebounds as well, shooting 6 for 7 from the field. Collins also led the team with four assists.
 
For the Cardinals, Myra Bell scored 15, Jorja Elliott added 13, while Aliyah Collins scored 18 off the bench. Five Cardinals scored in double digits.
 
The Lions outshot the Cardinals, 40 percent to 39.3 percent, and had the 39-36 edge in rebounding.

POST GAME INTERVIEW
 
UP NEXT
The Lions close out the regular season on Wednesday in the Field House against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 5:30 p.m.