COMMERCE – After handing previously-undefeated Lamar its first loss in Southland play, the Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team heads to Southeastern on Saturday, who is the now the lone undefeated team in conference play. 
 
WHO: A&M-Commerce at Southeastern
WHERE: Hammond, La. | Pride Roofing University Center
WHEN: Saturday, January 20 | 1 p.m.
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 8-7 on the season and 3-2 in Southland play, while Southeastern is 9-7 overall and 5-0 in conference play.   
RANKINGS: Neither team is nationally ranked. 
  LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ | https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401578834
LIVE STATS: https://lionsports.net/sidearmstats/wbball/
GAME NOTES: TAMUC

SCOUTING THE LADY LIONS
• Southeastern, the Southland's defending conference and conference tournament champion, is off to a 5-0 start to conference play. The Lady Lions are outscoring their opponents by 9.4 points in conference play.
• This is the rematch of last season's overtime thriller in the SLC Tournament semifinals. Southeastern beat A&M-Commerce three times last season, but two of the three games were decided by four points or less.
• Hailey Giaratano, a preseason first team all-SLC selection, is scoring 12.6 pgg to lead team.

QUICK GLANCE AT THE LIONS
• A&M-Commerce is coming off a 73-70 win at Lamar on Thursday, handing the Cardinals their first conference loss as well as snapping a five-game winning streak.
• The Lions are searching for their first ever win over Southeastern and also looking to win three conference games in a row since the 6-0 start to conference play last year.
• Ahmya Boyce scored 27 in the win over the Cardinals, which was her highest as a Lion and has been the leading scorer in each of the past two Lion wins.
• Saturday's is the battle of the SLC's top scoring offense and top scoring defense.

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.

BATTLE OF THE BESTS
• A&M-Commerce's scoring average of 70.2 points per game is tops in the Southland, while Southeastern holds its opponents to 55.6 points per game, which also leads the conference.

AVOIDING A RARITY
• The Lions fell at New Orleans to start conference play, losing the conference opener for the first time since 2021-22.
• By beating McNeese, A&M-Commerce avoided the first 0-2 to start conference play since 2011-12.

DECK APPROACHING HISTORY
• Entering Saturday's game at Southeastern, Mia Deck is 28 points away from 1,000 career points.
• Deck scored 609 of her 972 points as a Lion.

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

DECK, DELGADO BRING HOME HARDWARE
• In back-to-back weeks, the Lions brought home the Southland Women's Basketball Player of the Week awards.
• Mia Deck earned the award following the game at Washington State and Idaho, while Mary Delgado earned the nod after games against Southern Utah and Houston.

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
• The Lions ended conference play with a record of 5-5.
• The five wins are most in non-conference play during the Division I era.
• The Lions had three wins over NCAA Division I opponents in non-conference play, which also surpasses last season's mark.

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 over Utah Tech.
• 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.