BEAUMONT – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team marched into Neches Arena on Thursday night and downed Lamar, who was 4-0 in Southland play, via a score of 73-70.
 
The Lions have won two in a row to improve to 3-2 in SLC action and 8-7 overall, marking the first time the Lions have a winning conference record this season. Lamar snapped a five-game winning streak, dropping to 10-5 overall and 4-1 in conference play. This is the first loss at home for Lamar this season. 
 
Coming into Thursday's game, the Cardinals' NET ranking of 117 had the best NET ranking in the conference and were receiving votes in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The 117 ranking is the highest ever win for the Lions in the Division I era.
 
Lamar started the game leading 12-3, with Akasha Davis having scored 10 of those points. The Lions went on a 13-4 run to tie the game at 16 on a layup by Ahmya Boyce (Newport News, Va.) and took the lead on two free throws by Mia Deck (Frisco – Lone Star) in the final minute of the first quarter.
 
Jordyn Beaty (Woodville) checked in to the game four minutes into the game and guarded Davis for the rest of the game. Beaty finished with seven points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes, which included a layup to put the Lions up three in the final minute of the game and a block on the other side.
 
The Cardinals were held to just four points in the final five minutes of the first quarter. The Lions outscored the Cardinals, 22-12, in the second quarter, as Deck scored 11 in the first half for the Lions and Boyce added 15. The Lions shot 6 for 10 from distance in the first 20 minutes, while Lamar was 0 for 6.
 
The Lions forced six turnovers and scored eight points off those turnovers in the first half. Lamar forced five Lion turnovers, but had not points off turnovers in the first half. A&M-Commerce closed out the first half on a 9-0 run to lead 40-28 at halftime, which was its biggest lead of the game thus far.
 
Davis, who scored 10 of Lamar's first 12 points, was limited to just two more points for the rest of the half.
 
The Lions scored the first point of the second half to take a 13-point lead, but the Cardinals trimmed the deficit to as short as four in the third quarter. The Lions were outscored by seven in the third quarter, but led 54-49 entering the fourth quarter. Boyce scored nine of the 14 points for the Lions in the third quarter.  
 
Lamar's Sabria Dean, who came into Thursday as the conference's leading scorer, was held to just two points in the first half. She had 12 in the second half.
 
Jordyn Newsome (Irving – MacArthur) scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to put the Lions back up by 10. Lamar used an 8-0 run to come to within 62-61 with 4:12 left in the half. The Cardinals had the 8-3 edge in rebounding through the first six points of the fourth quarter and scored six second chance points.
 
Lamar took a 65-64 lead with 2:54 left in the game, which capped off a 12-2 scoring run and it was the first lead change since the 1:37 mark of the first quarter. The Lions re-took the lead on a layup by Deck, who was held without a point in the third quarter, but scored five of the final 11 points for the Lions.
 
The Cardinals had four possessions down the stretch in which they trailed by three points or less and the Lions made the defensive stop each time.
 
Lamar outrebounded A&M-Commerce, 43-32 and had a 19-1 advantage in points off turnovers, while the Lions had a 16-3 edge in points off turnovers.
 
Boyce finished the game with 27 points, shooting 10 for 10 at the line. She also tied with Deck for team-best four assists. Deck totaled 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Newsome added 12 points, five rebounds, and a block in the fourth quarter.
 
Cora Horvath (Obertwart, Austria) started her first career game and recorded six points, four rebounds, and two assists. The Lions shot 43.4 percent from the field, 8 for 18 from deep, and 19 for 25 from the Lions.
 
Davis racked up a double-double through three quarters and finished the game with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Dean scored 15. Lamar shot 40.6 from the field, was held to 4 for 15 from outside the arc and was 14 for 19 at the line.


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The Lions head to defending conference champion, Southeastern, on Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out the weekend.