A&M-Commerce women's basketball (6-5 overall; 1-1 in LSC) picked up its first win against LSC-competition on Thursday and climbed back above .500, holding on to defeat the A&M-Kingsville Javelinas (0-12 overall; 0-2 in LSC) 68-65 in a tightly contested game.
The last two 2:03 of action was a nerve-racking spectacle for the Lion faithful to behold. With a nine-point, 66-57 advantage, the Javelinas strung together an 8-2 run, to bring them within three, and ten seconds with which to work on their final possession. The Lions closed out and challenged shooters at the arc, forcing A&M-Kingsville to keep moving the ball and look for their shot. As time expired, Kyra Bauer, who had scored 10 points on the evening, launched one. But it was a bit too strong, and as the dust settled, A&M-Commerce was victorious, with a two-game win-streak intact.
"I feel great that we won," said head coach Jason Burton, who picked up his first LSC win as A&M-Commerce skipper, "Every conference game is tough. A&M-Kingsville came out to play in front of their home crowd, and they were playing hungry. It was a gutsy win."
Four Lions reached double digit scoring in the win, with senior forward La'Tisha Hearne coming within one rebound of her fourth double-double of the season with a 10 point, nine board performance. Artaejah Gay put up a team-leading season-high 14 points on a perfect six of six from the line and four of eight from the field in addition to her five rebounds.
Senior guard Ashlee Johnson did a little of everything, with 12 points, six assists, three steals, a rebound and a block in 32 minutes of action. Junior center Kiana Evans had one of her stronger games as a Lion, with twelve points, six rebounds and a steal.
"I didn't like our turnover numbers, but we did a good job creating shots," said Burton, "I thought we played hard the entire game. Our bigs played hard, and two fouled out in the process. Tae (Artaejah Gay) stepped up for us and had a great game."
At the end of the game, the Lions and Javelinas were similar in most categories. In fact, A&M-Kingsville held decisive advantages in both long range shooting (6 for 16 to 2 of 8) and blocks (5 to 1). But the Lions performed better in second chance scoring (14 to 5) and points in the paint (36 to 24), and that proved to be enough.
In the first half, the Lions led by as many as seven, heading into the locker room with a 31-26 lead after 20. The Javelinas and Lions put up similar numbers in many categories, but the big advantage would come in the rebounding department, in which A&M-Commerce controlled a 25-16 advantage.
A&M-Kingsville, who drops to 0-12 on the year, had three players reach double digits. In addition to the aforementioned Bauer, junior guard Michelle Wagner had 11 points, while senior forward Lauren Jay led the way with 16 along with six rebounds and two steals. The Javelinas will have a day to regroup before taking a trip to play Tarleton State.
The Lions return to Commerce with a four-game home-stand in store for them, three of which are against LSC opponents. They'll begin Sunday, January 11 at 4 p.m. against the visiting Angelo State Rambelles (5-6 overall; 0-1 in LSC).