By: Drew Ivery | Co-Editor/Sports Editor

The No. 10 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions defeated the St. Mary’s Rattlers 70-60 and the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds 68-59 to advance to the Championship game in the Lone Star Conference Tournament.

The Lions were tested early in Quarterfinal round the tournament by a feisty effort from the Rattlers. Head Coach Jason Burton’s Lions turned it up late in the game by shooting their highest shooting percentage of the game in the fourth quarter at 57.1 percent to close things out.

Regardless of up and down moments in the game, it came down to the final quarter to decide a winner and the Lions late game poise was the deciding factor.

A&M-Commerce led for all but almost one game minute of the matchup against the Rattlers. St. Mary’s committed 24 turnovers in the game and it led to 26 points off of turnovers for the Lions.

Chania Wright made her return to the court after missing two weeks of game action with an injury. She led the Lions with 12 points in the game, followed by Mykiel Burleson and Alexis Bryant who added 10 points each.

Video and quotes from the game vs ST. Mary’s, courtesy of the LSC Digital Network:

https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/?bfplayvid=177497

The Semifinals

The A&M-Commerce Lions faced yet another test when they retook the court on Saturday afternoon against the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds in the Semifinals of the LSC Tournament.

The Lions remained in control the entire first half as ENMU struggled shooting the ball in the first half at just 23.7 percent going into the break. In those early struggles, the Lions took advantage and went on a 13-0 run from 6:17 to 1:58 in the second quarter until the Greyhounds ended it with a made three pointer.

It was another close victory by the Lions as the Greyhounds began to surge late in the game. The Greyhounds went on an 8-0 run after a timeout at 4:49 left in the game to bring the game to single digits.

The Greyhounds forced the Lions into thirteen second half turnovers and had 9 steals against the Lions in the second half and helped shift momentum for a time. A&M-Commerce was led in scoring by Chania Wright with 12 points, followed by three others in double digits: Agang Tac had 11 points off the bench, with Maddison Glass and Bryant scoring 10 points each.

Bench production was key in the victory over ENMU as the Lion bench accounted for 23 points, compared to the Greyhounds just two bench points.

Poise from the Lions late in the game kept the Greyhounds and bay and helped the Lions punch their ticket to their second ever LSC Tournament Championship appearance.

With the semifinal victory, it brings the Lions to 28 wins on the year, tying the program record for wins in a single season.

Video and quotes from the game against ENMU, courtesy of the LSC Digital Network:

https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/?bfplayvid=177896

Next Matchup

The Lions will take on Lubbock Christian for the LSC Championship at 1 p.m. at the Comerica Center in Frisco. The game can be heard on 88.9 FM KETR or viewed via the LSC Digital Network.