COMMERCE – The East Texas A&M University women's basketball team hosts HCU on Thursday night, which begins the final home stand for the Lions this season. 

WHO: HCU at East Texas A&M
WHERE: Commerce | The Field House
WHEN: Thursday, February 27 | 6:30 p.m.
RECORDS: The Lions are 6-20 overall and 3-14 in Southland Conference play, while the Huskies are 6-21 overall and 3-15 in conference play.   

LISTEN: Lion Sports Network | https://www.ketr.org/
WATCH: ESPN+ | https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401700709
LIVE STATS: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=555449
TICKETS: https://vivenu.com/seller/texas-am-university-commerce-v6v3
GAME NOTES: ETAMU | HCU

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
• Houston Christian comes into Thursday's game having lost its last four, but one of its three conference wins this season have come against East Texas A&M.
• The Huskies are 0.5 games back of the Lions in the conference standings, having played one more game in conference play thus far than the Lions.
• HCU is looking to sweep the season series against the Lions for the first time since joining the SLC as Erin Maguire is the leading scorer at 9.5 points per game, while Tiffany Tullis is averaging nine points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game.

QUICK GLANCE AT THE LIONS
• Despite losing both games on the road last weekend and their last four overall, the Lions are still mathematically alive for a berth into the conference tournament with three games left to play.
• The Lions are looking for their second win at home in conference play after beating Nicholls in the first SLC game at home this season. East Texas A&M is also looking to record at least one win over HCU for the third year in a row.
• Jordyn Newsome is seventh in the conference in scoring entering the final three games, while Alva Hedrich is seventh in rebounding and tied for fourth in blocks.

BRAND NEW WATERS
• The Lions are in the third 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.

SOME NEW THREADS
• Earlier this month, Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved a name change of A&M-Commerce to East Texas A&M University.
• The Lions wore a special jersey against Arkansas in an East Texas theme.

LIONS COOL OFF AT HOME
• East Texas A&M had won two in a row entering the game against SFA, having beaten Nicholls, which was the first time the Lions won two in a row this season.
• SFA defeated the Lions at home to end the winning streak and swept the season series and then Lamar downed the Lions on Saturday
• The Lions are now in a two-way tie for 10th and two game back of eighth place in the SLC standings following the loss to Southeastern.

STREAK SNAPPED AGAINST THE COWGIRLS
• The Lions used a run in the second quarter to pull away from McNeese and snap an eight-game losing streak on February 6.
• East Texas A&M is now 7-2 in Lake Charles over the last three seasons, while McNeese has seven wins over Division I opponents at home the last three seasons.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST THE HUSKIES
• The Lions fell to HCU in Houston to begin conference play earlier this season, which marked their first ever loss to the Huskies.
• East Texas A&M is now 4-1 against HCU over the last three seasons and has won by an average margin nine in the previous two meetings in Commerce between the two teams.

PAYNE SPARKS THE LIONS
• Entering the fourth quarter trailing by one, Jasmine Payne scored eight in a row to jumpstart a 13-0 run and help the Lions end the losing streak with the win over Nicholls.
• Payne was inserted into the starting lineup on February 1 against Northwestern State and has started every game since.

AVOIDED A RARITY
• The Lions fell in their first two conference games before the holiday break, but came back to beat Nicholls.
• East Texas A&M avoided its first 0-3 start to conference play since 2011-12.
• The Lions have also won the conference home opener in each of the last five years.

LONG TIME AWAY FROM HOME ENDS
• The game against UT Arlington on November 18 was the last non-conference game at home for the Lions, who did not play at home again till January 2 against Nicholls.
• The 45-day stretch away from home was the third longest in Division I this season.
• Only Columbia (47) and UC Irvine (46) have had longer stretches away from home this season.

RIVALRY RE-IGNITED AGAINST THE WILDCATS
• Having played in the same conference for decades, Abilene Christian and the Lions met earlier this season since 2013, which was the 49th meeting between the two teams, with ACU leading the all-time head-to-head 38-11.

HORVATH CALLS GAME
• In overtime period where both teams had two-possession leads, Cora Horvath sent the Lions home with a win, hitting a jumper in the final seconds at Texas Southern.
• Both teams had a lead of over 10 points in the game, but TSU rallied late to force overtime.

TOUGH LOSS AGAINST THE MAVS
• The Lions led by as much as 12 and for over 25 minute against UTA last Monday, but came up on the wrong side of 73-71 loss at home.
• Jordyn Newsome led the team in scoring with 18, but three of five starters and four players overall fouled out in the game for the Lions.

HORVATH ON FIRE ON THE ROAD
• Cora Horvath scored 22 points in the road loss at No. 17 Baylor, scoring her first 20-point game as a Lion.

TOUGH TESTS ON THE ROAD
• The first two road games of the season for the Lions came against Power Conference opponents, including No. 17 Baylor, which are the only two Power Five Conference opponents on the schedule this season.

REACHED THE CENTURY MARK
• The Lions scored 100 in the win over LeTourneau, marking the first time in the Division I era and first time since January 23, 2022, at home against Midwestern State.

SLOW START, EASY WIN OVER UNT DALLAS
• The Lions led by just two after the first quarter against UNT-Dallas, but a 20-5 favor in the second quarter pulled the Lions ahead on their first win of the season.
• East Texas A&M has now started 1-0 in each of the last six seasons.

NEWSOME NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-SLC TEAM
• After being named the conference Newcomer of the Year last season, Jordyn Newsome was named to preseason second team all-Southland coming into the year.
• Newsome was one of the top scorers from outside the three-point arc in the conference a year ago.

A NEW-LOOK SOUTHLAND
• The Southland Conference welcomes two new members to the conference this year in SFA and UTRGV.
• The Lions have played SFA just once, while having never played UTRGV.

LIONS PICKED SIXTH IN THE SLC
• In the new-look Southland, the Lions were picked to finish sixth, after a fifth-place finish a year ago.
• The Lions have finished fifth or tied for fourth in both seasons in the SLC.

KING HAS GOT IT DONE
• The first season under Valerie King was historic for the Lions.
• The win over UIW in the SLC Tournament gave the Lions the most wins under a first-year coach and are the most in the Division I era.

WE BELONG HERE
• East Texas A&M has advanced to the semifinal round of the conference tournament for six straight seasons.
• The Lions have also won two postseason games for the fifth straight season.

DEFIED THE ODDS
• In the preseason Southland poll, the Lions were picked eighth, but finished in a tie for fifth with a conference record of 8-10.

TOP-SCORING OFFENSE IN THE SOUTHLAND
• The Lions finished the season averaging 69.6 points per game, which was the top scoring offense in the conference.

DECK AND NEWSOME ALL-SOUTHLAND HONORS
• Mia Deck was named to second team all-conference by the Southland on Saturday, it is the first all-conference recognition in her career.
• Jordyn Newsome, a junior transfer from Coastal Carolina, was named the Newcomer of the Year. She is the program's first Newcomer of the Year since Lion Athletics Hall of Famer, Britney Jordan in 2006-07.
• The two honorees on the all-conference honor roll are the most for the program in the Division I era.

A RARE OVERTIME GAME
• The Lions went into overtime against New Orleans, which was just the second overtime game since November 2018, and first in the regular season.

NEAR-COMEBACK AGAINST SLU
• A&M-Commerce trailed by 30 against Southeastern, before making it a five-point game.
• The 30-point comeback would have been the second-biggest in NCAA Division I history.

HISTORIC WIN OVER THE COWGIRLS
• The Lions won by 24 points over McNeese last season on the road.
• The margin of victory is largest on the road in the Division I era and second biggest against a conference opponent.
• The margin was also the highest for the Lions since Feb. 8, 2022.

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.

UNPRECENTED START TO THE SEASON
• The Lions ended non-conference play with a record of 5-5 last season.
• 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 surpassed the 2022-23 season.

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.
• East Texas A&M has five NCAA postseason appearances in program history, with four coming in the last four seasons of the Division II era.