COMMERCE, Texas -- Texas A&M-Commerce led for all but three and a half minutes in a 98-49 victory over UT Tyler Saturday afternoon in Commerce.
The contest was the Patriots' second straight matchup against a Top 10-ranked opponent. Beezy Birchette led UT Tyler with a 16-point effort, her second-best scoring effort this season, but A&M-Commerce had four double-digit scorers as well as two players who grabbed double-digit rebounds.
With the loss, UT Tyler dropped to 3-17 overall and 1-15 in Lone Star Conference play. The Patriots are 0-6 within the division, while Texas A&M-Commerce kept its perfect season intact through 22 games. The Lions are now 22-0 overall, 16-0 in the LSC, and 6-0 within the six-team division.
Turning Point: UT Tyler grabbed an early lead, scoring the first four points of the game on a Beezy Birchette steal and fast-break layup followed by a midrange jumper from Miranda Villegas. However A&M-Commerce rallied to finish the quarter on a 17-5 run, and the Lions never looked back, extending the lead into double digits for good during a 34-point second-quarter explosion. A&M-Commerce made 14-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-5 three-pointers, in the second quarter.
How It Happened: Chania Wright scored 10 of her game-high 20 points during the Lions' 34-point second-quarter outburst as A&M-Commerce rolled to a 51-24 halftime lead. The Lions shot below 50 percent in each of the other three quarters, but the Patriots never shot better than 40 percent in any of the four quarters of the contest.
Texas A&M-Commerce used a 27-13 third quarter to extend the lead to 78-37 after three quarters, and the Lions posted a 20-12 edge in the fourth quarter for the final 49-point margin of victory.
UT Tyler Standouts: Beezy Birchette had her second-highest scoring game of the season, scoring 16 points to go with a team-high 4 rebounds. Tyreesha Blaylock came off the bench to score 9, and Carah Burdette added 6 points, also in reserve. Miranda Villegas scored 7 points.
Texas A&M-Commerce Standouts: Chania Wright scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including 4-of-9 three-pointers, and she was one of four Lions players who scored in double figures. Two more reached double figures in rebounds, as Juliana Louis scored 11 points with 10 rebounds while Agang Tac was a basket away from a double-double of her own as she finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds.
By The Numbers: A&M-Commerce won the rebounding battle by a margin of 30, posting a 51-21 edge in rebounds… The Lions shot over 50 percent in only one quarter, hitting 14-of-16 (88 percent) from the field in the second quarter… That period was enough to lift A&M's overall shooting percentage above 50 percent for the contest, as the Lions finished at 52 percent (37-for-71) overall, including a clip of 45 percent (9-for-20) from three-point range… UT Tyler shot 31 percent (16-for-51) but hit just 22 percent (4-for-18) from long range.
What's Next: UT Tyler returns to a two-game conference week with road games at divisional rivals Cameron (Feb. 13) and Oklahoma Christian (Feb. 15) next week.
