A&M-Commerce women's basketball (9-7; 3-3 in LSC) are blazing a trail to Denton this Wednesday, where they will take on the Pioneers of Texas Woman's University (12-7; 5-3 in LSC).
The Lions and Pioneers shared similar fates last weekend, as each team traveled to Canyon, Texas to take on the No. 10 seeded West Texas A&M Lady Buffs. On Friday, WT hung triple digits on the Lions despite an Artaejah Gay career-high night with 22 points, routing the Lions 100-73. The following night, Texas Woman's came to the First United Bank Center, and though it was a lower scoring affair, the result was much the same as TWU fell 80-65. Now, both teams meet in Kitty Magee Arena trying to bounce back from the similar experiences. Fans can tune into the action live at 107.1 Thunder Country on the FM dial. A video feed will also be made available courtesy of twuathletics.com.
Junior guard Gabby Scott has been on a roll for the Lions, having scored in double-digits in three consecutive games. Last week against McMurry, she hit a career high in scoring with 17 points. Then in her next game against Eastern New Mexico four days later, she broke her own record yet again on an 18-point night. Through her last three games, she's been extremely effective from long range, shooting 50 percent on 8 of 16 shooting.
The Lions' backcourt features the number one and number three most-prolific passers in the conference in freshman Princess Davis and senior Ashlee Johnson (4.3 and 3.8 APG). Johnson comes off a solid 12-point, four assist outing with three boards and two steals. Davis meanwhile gave Lions fan a scare when she went down with a lower-body injury midway through the first half and had to be helped off. Thankfully, she would return in the second half, and looks good to suit up this Wednesday.
The Pioneers comes off a 16-12 2013-14 season in which they finished third in the conference with a 10-6 LSC record. Through 19 games, eighth-year head coach Beth Jillson threatens to surpass that mark, having won 12 games with at least eight games still to play. In 2014-15, TWU has earned a reputation for exceptional interior defense, limiting opponents to a conference-low 37.5 percent shooting from the field. However, that defense appears to weaken significantly out on the perimeter, as they allow a conference-worst 35.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Texas Woman's leading scorers are sophomore forward Emily Spector and sophomore guard Kenesha Saygo, who average 11.2 and 10.4 PPG. Spector and Saygo are also leaders in other areas, with Spector acting as the team's leading rebounder (6.4 RPG), while Saygo contributes as the Pioneers' leader in dishes (2.4 APG). Also worth mentioning, sophomore center Erin Maxwell is a supurb interior threat on the defensive end, and is second in the conference in blocked shots with 1.9 BPG.
Statistically, the Lions and Pioneers are similar squads in most respects. The big advantage for TWU comes at the charity stripe, where they shoot 69.6 percent compared to the Lions' 65.9 percent. However, the Lions make that up with a 4.2 point scoring advantage, as they average 68.1 PPG compared to the Pioneers' 63.9 PPG.
The two teams have a 72 game history dating back to the inception of women's basketball at A&M-Commerce in the 1971-72 season. The Lions narrowly trail the all-time series with a record of 32-40 against TWU. A&M-Commerce is 11-7 against Texas Woman's dating back to the 2003-04 season. Six of those wins for the Pioneers came consecutively between 2010 and 2012. The last time these teams met in Denton, the Lions emerged victorious with a 69-62 win. Then-junior La'Tisha Hearne put up 10 points, six boards and a steal in 18 minutes of action.
Tipoff is scheduled for Wednesday, January 28 at 7 P.M. in Kitty Magee Arena on the campus of Texas Woman's University. After that, the Lions return home for a Saturday showdown with the Tarleton State TexAnns (10-5; 4-3 in LSC).