LAKE CHARLES, La. – For the seventh straight season, the Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team has won a game in the postseason, downing the Northwestern State Lady Demons, 65-57, on Monday afternoon in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament at the Legacy Center.
 
With the win, the Lions advance to the SLC Tournament quarterfinals for the second year in a row, playing fourth seeded UIW at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Last season, the Lions won 65-62 in the quarterfinals over the Cardinals.
 
The Lions move to 14-15 on the season, while Northwestern State ends its season with a record of 11-19. A&M-Commerce is now 4-0 against Northwestern State in games away from Natchitoches, Louisiana, since last season, and beat the Lady Demons in the first round of the Southland tournament for the second straight season.
 
The 14 wins under first-year coach Valerie King tie the program record for most wins under a first-year coach.

POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
 
The Lady Demons scored the first four points of the game, but the Lions then went on a 13-0 run to take their largest lead of the game to that point. The Lions hit three shots from deep during the run.
 
Both teams shot below 30 percent in the first quarter, but the Lions went 3 for 6 from deep, while the Lady Demons went 0 for 5. Mia Deck (Frisco – Lone Star) scored eight of the 15 points for the Lions in the first quarter.
 
After leading 15-6 at the 2:21 mark of the first quarter, the Lions scored just one point for the next four minutes, while Northwestern State cut it to 16-14. The Lions' first made field goal in the second quarter came at the 3:34 mark, a layup from Jordyn Beaty (Woodville).
 
The two teams combined to go 0 for 13 from the field to start the second quarter, until a layup from the Lady Demons with 4:43 left in the half.
 
The layup from Beaty started a run of two straight baskets for the Lions, who extended their lead to 23-16, while the Lady Demons went 3:58 without a made basket.
 
The Lions scored nine points in the final 4:43 of the first half to lead 25-18 at the break. Northwestern State shot 19 percent from the field in the first half, while the Lions shot 25 percent. Jordyn Newsome (Irving – MacArthur) and Beaty scored four each for the Lions in the second quarter.
 
After just 41 combined points in the first half, the Lions and the Demons combined for 38 points in the third quarter. The Lady Demons outscored the Lions, 22-16, in the quarter, going 11 for 13 at the line, while the Lions went 4 for 5. A&M-Commerce entered the fourth quarter leading 41-40.
 
The Lions scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter, to build back an eight-point lead. Outside of the start of the fourth, when the Lions led by one, the Lion lead was bigger than one possession for all but 20 seconds in the quarter.
 
Deck led the team with 20, Ahmya Boyce (Newport News, Va.) scored 12, both Newsome and Jordyn Beaty (Woodville) added 10 each. Beaty grabbed 12 rebounds for a double-double as well, while Mary Delgado (Miami, Fla.) scored 11 off the bench.
 
Jiselle Woodson has 17 for the Lady Demons, while Sharna Ayres put up a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.