No. 3 Lions overcome a sluggish start to finish strong in 73-59 win over ENMU.

COMMERCE – The No. 3 Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team earned a 73-59 win over Eastern New Mexico at the Field House on Thursday. After a sluggish start to the game, the Lions went on a big run in the second quarter and held off multiple ENMU runs to get the win. 

The win brings the Lions to 25-0 on the season, and 19-0 in the Lone Star Conference. The Greyhounds fall to 17-8 on the year and 11-8 in conference play. 

The Lions return to the court on Saturday as they host West Texas A&M in their final regular-season home game of the year. The game will be a part of Senior Day festivities and will begin at 2:00 pm. 

HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME

CLICK HERE for coach Burton’s postgame comments 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Maddison Glass (Missouri City – Hightower) set a career-high with 21 points, while also grabbing five rebounds.

– Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville) added 13 points and had a team-high eight rebounds. Dyani Robinson (Cypress – Langham Creek) had 11 points while Alexus Jones (Lewisville – Aledo) had 10.

– The Lion bench added a spark for the Lions, as they enjoyed a 27-4 advantage in bench points.

– The Lions were tough in the paint throughout the game, as they scored 42 points inside the lane. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions struggled from the field early, as they missed their first six shots. Free throws aided Lion’s cause. However, midway through the quarter, the Greyhounds held a 10-4 lead. 

The Lion shooters found their stroke, hitting a pair of buckets to cut the lead to just two points before the Greyhounds scored five in a row to take a 15-8 with a minute left. The Lions went on a run to end the quarter, as they scored six unanswered in the final minute to go into the second quarter trailing 15-14. 

The Lions continued their push to start the second quarter, finally taking the lead. Their scoring run reached 15-0, spanning the two quarters, as the Lions led by eight at the midway mark of the second quarter, leading 23-15. ENMU was held scoreless for nearly six minutes as the Lion defense turned turnovers into the offense. For the final five minutes, the teams traded buckets, with the Lions going into the halftime break leading 34-25. 

Glass led the Lions with eight points in the half, half of which came from the foul line. The Lions converted ENMU’s 11 turnovers into 11 points and enjoyed a 24-12 advantage inside the painted area. 

The Lions pushed their lead to double-figures on the first possession of the second half. Burleson had the first four points for the Lions, as the teams traded hoops. Midway through the quarter, the Lions led 41-31. It continued to be a hotly contested quarter through the rest of it, as the Lions took a 53-43 lead into the final quarter. 

The intensity from both teams picked up in the final quarter, as the Lion faithful looked to fuel their home team to a win. ENMU cut the Lion lead down to five points early on before the Lions pushed their lead back up to double figures. 

Glass continued her active inside play, getting a pair of buckets to give the Lions their largest lead of the game. The Lions closed the period strong, never letting up until the final horn. 

Dorian Andrews named Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week

COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s track and field standout Dorian Andrews has been named the Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week by Lion Athletics. 

Andrews – a junior from Dallas (Skyline) – was the top Division II finisher in the men’s 60-meter hurdles at the Indoor Gorilla Classic with the third-best time in the nation at 7.89 seconds, automatically qualifying for nationals and re-setting his school record. He was also named the Lone Star Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week earlier this week.

Andrews and the Lions are competing in the Lone Star Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lubbock on Friday and Saturday. 

The Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week will be awarded by Lion Athletics each week during the academic year. 

2019-20 UNDER ARMOUR STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Sept. 10 – Timon Kemboi, Men’s Cross Country
Sept. 17 – E.J. Thompson, Football
Sept. 24 – Cora Welch, Soccer
Oct. 1 – Sydney Andersen, Volleyball
Oct. 8 – Brandi Stalder, Women’s Cross Country
Oct. 15 – Dominique Ramsey, Football
Oct. 22 – Shelley Chapron, Volleyball
Oct. 29 – Miklo Smalls, Football
Nov. 5 – Leslie Campuzano, Soccer
Nov. 12 – Dyani Robinson, Women’s Basketball
Nov. 27 – Alexis Bryant, Women’s Basketball & Alex Shillow, Football
Dec. 4 – Preston Wheeler & Elijah Earls, Football
Dec. 13 – Malcolm Woods, Men’s Track & Field
Dec. 18 – Wayne Stewart, Men’s Basketball
Jan. 8 – Chania Wright, Women’s Basketball
Jan. 15 – Lexi Bubenchik, Women’s Golf
Jan. 22 – Jamie Williams, Cheer
Jan. 29 – Cesar Torres, Athletic Training
Feb. 7 – Alexus Jones, Women’s Basketball
Feb. 13 – Alberto Moreno, Men’s Basketball
Feb. 20 – Dorian Andrews, Men’s Track & Field