LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team is playing in the Southland Conference Semifinals once again after winning 66-57 over the UIW Cardinals in the quarterfinals on Tuesday afternoon at the Legacy Center.
 
The Lions are onto the conference tournament semifinals for the sixth straight season, also having won two games in the postseason for the fifth straight season. A&M-Commerce is now matched up with top-seeded Lamar on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the SLC semifinals. Lamar, the Southland Champion, lost just one game in conference play and it was to A&M-Commerce on its home floor.
 
A&M-Commerce collected its 15^th win on the season, moving to 15-15 on the season. Led by coach Valerie King, the 15 wins are a new program record for most wins by a first-year coach and the 15 wins are also the most in the Division I era.
 
UIW ends its season with a record of 19-11. The Cardinals have ended their season with a loss to the Lions in the SLC Tournament quarterfinals for the second straight year. UIW won both games over A&M-Commerce in the regular season this year.
 
The Lions are now 6-1 in the Legacy Center since joining the Southland last season.

POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
 
Both teams started shooting 30 percent or below in the first five minutes of the game. The Cardinals had the early 7-2 lead, but missed four baskets in a row, which allowed the Lions to tie the game.
 
The Lions shot 3 for 7 from deep, including Mia Deck (Frisco – Lone Star) going 2 for 3, giving A&M-Commerce a 15-14 lead after the first quarter. UIW was 1 for 6 from deep and 1 for 4 at the line in the first quarter.
 
The Cardinals scored the first five points of the second quarter, leading 19-15, while the Lions went scoreless until the 8:13 mark. The Lions hit three baskets in a row and had two chances to tie the game, but missed the free throw attempt each time. The Lions started the game shooting 1 for 5 at the line.
 
Dorian Norris (Lake Dallas) ended an A&M-Commerce scoring drought of 2:35 with a three-pointer that put the Lions up 25-23 with 4:09 left in the half, which was the largest Lion lead up to that point. On the defensive end, the Lions forced a pair of turnovers and three missed shots, while Jordyn Beaty (Woodville) tipped in a second-chance layup, to continue the 7-0 scoring run.
 
During the scoring run for the Lions, UIW had five turnovers and missed 10 shots in a row. The Cardinals scoring drought was five minutes 42 seconds, while the Lions built a six-point lead on a pair of free throws from Beaty.
 
The Cardinals shot 11 for 37 in the first half, 2 for 12 from deep, and 3 for 10 at the line, while the Lions led 31-27, shooting 11 for 28, 4 for 12, and 5 for 9, respectively.
 
After missing five of their first six attempts at the line, the Lions made their next six. Deck had 10 points for the Lions in the first half. The Cardinals outrebounded the Lions, 29-19, in the first 20 minutes.
 
UIW made its first field goal attempt of the second half, but missed the next six, while the Lions scored seven of the first nine points of the quarter to lead 38-29 at the 7:32 mark and force a Cardinal timeout.
 
The Lions had a lead as big as 12 in the third quarter, UIW scored eight of 10 to make it a six-point game. The Lions answered with four in a row, to re-take a 51-41 lead. UIW hit a pair of free throws right before the buzzer to make it an eight-point game entering the fourth.
 
The Cardinals went 5 for 19 from the field in the third quarter, while the Lions went 8 for 19. UIW was 6 for 6 at the line in the third, A&M-Commerce was 2 for 2.
 
Deck scored eight of the team's first 10 points of the fourth quarter as the Lion lead did not go below six at any point in the fourth quarter. The Lions did not make a field goal for the last three minutes of the game, but missed just one attempt at the free throw line during the stretch.
 
For the second straight game, Deck led the team in scoring with 22, while grabbing six rebounds as well. Ahmya Boyce (Newport News, Va.) added 11 points and three rebounds as well as two steals. Off the bench, Mary Delgado (Miami, Fla.) scored eight and Beaty grabbed 11 rebounds.
 
Norris appeared in her 100^th career game as a Lion.
 
The Lions went 39 percent from the field, 6 for 23 from deep, and 12 for 17 at the line, after starting the game, 1 for 5.
 
Nina De Leon Negron scored 14 along with nine rebounds for the Cardinals, who shot 30.4 percent from the field, 2 for 23 from deep, and 13 for 21 from the line. The Cardinals outrebounded the Lions, 50-40.