Lions drop season opener to Southeastern Oklahoma

The Texas A&M University-Commerce women rallied back from a double-digit deficit at halftime Tuesday, but fell short of an opening-night victory, falling to Southeastern Oklahoma, 85-82, in Durant, OK.

The Lions (0-1) trailed 44-32 at the break but outscored the Savage Storm (2-1) by a nine-point margin in the second half behind the play of sophomore Danielle Dixon and freshman Devin Oliver.

Dixon tossed in a team-high 17 points to go with four assists while Oliver – playing in her first collegiate game – chipped in 13 points. Breanna Harris, a transfer playing in her first game with the Lions, was also solid in scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Haley Schaefer led all scorers with 21 and Ashley Hobbs pulled down eight boards to lead all players in rebounds. Three others from Southeastern Oklahoma scored in double figures.

The Lions lost despite owning a 44-28 advantage on the glass, but committed 40 personal fouls resulting in 50 free throw attempts for the Savage Storm. A&M-Commerce shot 71 percent (22-of-31) from the charity stripe, but managed to shoot just 15 percent (2-of-13) from behind the arc and 44 percent (29-of-66) from the floor.

Southeastern Oklahoma made shots at a blistering rate, shooting 53 percent (24-of-45) from the floor and knocking down 34 free throws. The fouls cost the Lions as four players fouled out during the game.

The Savage Storm led by as many as 15 points during the first half but the Lions were able to grab a five-point lead with 7:14 to play, as Dixon made a shot to put the Lions in front, 72-67.

Trailing by just one point with five seconds to play, the Lions were forced to put Bailey Welch (17 points) on the line, where she would make both shots to make it 85-82. Welch blocked Oliver's 3-point shot as time expired, giving the Savage Storm the win.

A&M-Commerce will begin a 4-game home stand, starting with Friday's game against Henderson State at 6 p.m. The Lions will host Dallas Baptist on Monday at 6 p.m.