The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball squad hosted Texas Woman’s University at The Field House on Saturday and fell short once again, 63-49, the Lions’ 18th-consecutive loss of the season.
The Pioneers (12-10, 7-9 LSC) started out the second half with a 10-point jump on the Lions (1-21, 0-16 LSC). Near the midway point in the first half, the Pioneers shot 58.3 percent from the field connecting on 7-of-12 shots. Just after the midway point in the first half, the Pioneers had reached their largest margin in the half with a 14-point deficit with 9:42 remaining.
Texas Woman’s had control throughout the first half inside the paint scoring 16 points. They also took advantage of the Lions’ nine first half turnovers and turned them into 10 points along with eight second-chance points.
The Lions closed out the first half with a 6-0 run, but still trailed at halftime, 30-22. The Lions finished the first half shooting 38.5 percent from the field, connecting on 10-of-26 shots overall and 2-of-4 shots from long range. Freshman guard Devin Oliver and senior forward Apreia Booker both led the Lions in scoring with six points at the half. La’Tisha Hearne also threw in four points along with three steals to end the half.
After halftime, the Lions quickly came out and closed the margin within three points with 14 minutes remaining in the second half. But midway through, the Pioneers answered with a 14-4 scoring run of their own, including a pair of 3-point shots from junior guard Brittney Nuzum and freshman guard Toree Mason. The lead was stretched back up to double digits with 11:54 left in the second half.
The Lions continued to battle throughout the second half with freshman guard Michelle Sutton pitching in eight points knocking down 4-of-5 shots from the field along with three assists and a steal. The Pioneers capitalized once again and took a 17-point advantage, which was their largest margin, with two minutes left to play in the game.
Three Pioneers finished the game with double figures, led by Nuzum who finished with 18 points and four assists. Jessica Hanna cashed in 11 points along with seven rebounds and five assists, and Tabbatha Thurmond scored 10 points with seven rebounds as well. The Pioneers finished shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from the free throw line.
As the Lions finished shooting 37.3 percent from the floor, it was a quiet night for leading scorers for the Lions. Danielle Dixon was only able to put up five points as well as five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Breanna Harris finished 3-of-7 from the field scoring just seven points and a season-low of four rebounds. Michelle Sutton led the Lions in scoring with eight second half points.
As the second half came to a close, Texas Woman’s took charge and controlled the game for the rest of the half. They went on a scoring run advancing their lead back up to 14 points by the end of the game. They kept control in the paint and kept a good defensive stand to top off the win and put the Lions away.