A&M-C women zone in on LSC basketball tourney win
Mar. 4—COMMERCE — The Texas A&M University-Commerce women's basketball team loves to face man-to-man defenses.
"The last time we faced a man we scored 110 points," said Lions coach Jason Burton.
But the Lions showed they can also handle a zone defense in their 77-63 victory over Oklahoma Christian on Tuesday in the opening round of the Lone Star Conference tournament.
The Lions, now 12-2 for the season, advanced to the semifinals to play West Texas A&M at 6:45 p.m. on Friday at Lubbock Christian. Lubbock Christian, the top seed in the tournament, will be the host site for the semifinals and finals.
West Texas A&M won its first tournament game, 59-46 over Texas A&M International.
"We knew Oklahoma City was going to zone us," said Burton. "Both West Texas and Lubbock Christian have zoned us in the past."
Lubbock Christian is scheduled to play Cameron in the other semifinal at 4 p.m. on Friday.
The Lions attacked the Lady Eagles' zone in the paint, outscoring them 32-18.
"They were zoning us the whole game," said Juliana Louis, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. "So we were trying to adjust between their 2-3 and their 3-2."
The Lions held a commanding advantage on the boards, outrebounding Oklahoma Christian 51-32, led by Desiray Kernal with 17 rebounds.
A&M-Commerce's offense was balanced as five Lions scored in double figures. Dyani Robinson led with 17 points to go with a team-high eight assists.
Chania Wright fired in 16 points and Kernal and Asiyha Smith both added 10 points. Smith also pulled down six rebounds.
"I just love how we play with so much energy," said Louis.
Maddison Collyer paced the visitors from Oklahoma City with 16 points.
Tyra Peck fired in 15 points, while Brooklin Bain managed 13 points and 11 rebounds and Emma Epperly chipped in 10 as the Lady Eagles finished the season with a 7-8 record.
The Lions stepped it up in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Eagles 19-8 to build a 39-21 halftime advantage.
They stayed in front the rest of the game, going 23-of-31 from the line. Oklahoma Christian was 7-of-10 on free throws.
Burton said this season has been "super challenging."
The Lions have had numerous games either canceled or postponed to either COVID-19 issues or the recent winter storms. Their game against Oklahoma Christian was their first in eight days.
"You've got to be flexible," said Burton, who noted that the Lions have played half of their games without one or more players due to various reasons.
LSC women's basketball tournament
Oklahoma Christian 13 8 21 21 —63
A&M-Commerce 20 19 17 21 —77
OC: Brooklin Bain 13, Kendra Levings 9, Maddison Collyer 16, Emma Epperly 10, Tyra Peck 15.
A&M-C: Chania Wright 16, Desiray Kernal 10, Dyani Robinson 17, Keekee Nowlin 2, Juliana Louis 15, Ravae Payne 1, Agang Tac 4, Asiyha Smith 10, Jordyn Beaty 2.
Records: A&M-C 12-2, OC 7-8.
Next game: A&M-C vs. West Texas A&M, 6:45 p.m. Friday, Lubbock.
