A&M-Commerce Athletics
WICHITA FALLS – A record-shattering second half for the No. 3 ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team helped the Lions cruise to an 81-35 win over the Midwestern State Mustangs at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Thursday night and move to 10-0 on the season.
Midwestern State was held to just seven points in the second half, which is the least amount of points allowed by the Lions in a half under coach Jason Burton. The one point allowed in the fourth quarter is the lowest mark since the NCAA implemented quarters in women’s basketball in 2015-16. The Mustangs were held without a field goal in a quarter for the first time in program history.
The Mustangs, who fall to 5-4, did not make a field goal in the last 16 minutes and 50 seconds, scoring just two points in that stretch. The Lions’ margin of victory of 46 points is the most by either team in Wichita Falls in the 50 meetings between the two teams.
A&M-Commerce fell down 4-2 in the first two minutes of the game, but responded by scoring the next 11 points in a span of three minutes. Chania Wright (DeSoto) had four of the 11 points. The Lions held Midwestern State to shoot 0 for 5 in that stretch.
Mia Deck (Frisco – Lone Star) knocked down a three pointer with 2:48 to go in the first quarter to give the Lions their largest lead of the first half, 18-8. Midwestern State cut into the Lion lead by holding them scoreless for the next two minutes and trailed 20-14 at the end of the first half.
The Lions were held without a point for the first three and a half minutes in the second quarter. The Mustangs capitalized and cut it to 20-18. A jumper by Dyani Robinson (Langham Creek) with 4:55 to go in the quarter was A&M-Commerce’s first made field goal of the second quarter, giving the Lions a 23-20 lead.
Midwestern State stayed within one possession of the Lions for most of the second quarter and took its first lead of the half on a layup by Frances King at the 2:55 mark at 26-25. Robinson regained the lead for the Lions with an and-one. The Lions closed out the first half with a mini 4-0 run on jumpers by Wright and DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) to lead 32-28 at the half.
Laila Lawrence (Lewisville) was halfway towards a double-double in the first half with eight points and six rebounds. She also had 2 steals.
The Lions started the third quarter on a 6-0 run to match their largest lead of the game at 38-28. Lawrence gave the Lions a 48-33 lead with 4:03 to go in the third quarter, which was their largest lead up to that points. A&M-Commerce held the Mustangs without a made basket for six minutes and 50 seconds during the third quarter. Yasmine Sifaoui ended the Mustangs’ scoring drought with a free throw.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lions led by 53-34. The Mustangs were held to shoot 2 for 15 from the field in the third quarter and made one of their two free throw attempts, scoring one point in the last seven minutes of the third quarter.
The scoring drought for the Mustangs extended into the fourth quarter. They were held to a point in the quarter. A&M-Commerce scored 28 in the quarter.
Lawrence and Kernal nearly missed double doubles. Lawrence totaled 19 points on 8 for 16 shooting as well as nine rebounds and two blocks. Kernal grabbed 13 rebounds and scored nine points, she also had three assists.
Robinson led the team in scoring with 18, she also tallied three assists. Asiyha Smith (Conway, Ark.) scored seven points in the fourth quarter, while Wright scored six in the game.
Ravae Payne (Pearland) recorded four points and two rebounds. Deck scored six, while Victoria Hinton (Potomac, Va.) totaled four points and four rebounds.
No Midwestern State player had more than six points in the game. The two teams meet again in two weeks in Commerce to open Lone Star Conference play on Friday, December 31 at 2 p.m.