Commerce, Texas

Texas A&M-Commerce senior guard Kanani Marshal scored a game-high 23 points and drained four three-pointers to lead the Lions to a 59-51 victory over Lone Star Conference North Division foe Northeastern State on Saturday at the A&M-Commerce Field House.

Marshal scored 20 points in the second half, including 12 in the final 11 minutes, to seal the win. Sophomore guard Britney Jordan scored 14 points and added seven rebounds and five assists and Katedria Mosley chipped in 12 points, in the victory.

Junior guard Jezzal Quintana paced the Lady Reds offense by scoring a team-high 21 points and senior guard Wendy Fahrenbach added ten for Northeastern State.

The Lions trailed for a majority of the first half, but a Tarika Campbell jumper gave A&M-Commerce their first lead of the contest, 12-11, with 7:59 left in the first frame.

Quintana responded for the Lady Reds by scoring Northeastern State's next six points, as the Lions entered halftime trailing 20-19.

A&M-Commerce outscored the Lady Reds 10-2 in the paint in the first half as each team shot below 35% through the first 20 minutes of play.

Northeastern State controlled the tempo for the first ten minutes of the second half until Kanani Marshal connected on a three-pointer to give the Lions a 34-32 lead.

The Lady Reds responded by going on a 7-2 run over the next four minutes to recapture the advantage, 39-38. The Lions quickly answered with a 10-0 spurt to take their largest lead of the game, 48-39, a lead which they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.

The Lions shot 35% (21-60) percent from the floor and a season-high 92% (12-13) from the free throw line in the win. The Lady Reds connected on 40% (21-52) of their field goals in the defeat.

With the win, the No. 5 regionally-ranked Lions move to 18-8 overall and 6-2 in the Lone Star Conference North and have now won 13 of their previous 15 games.

The Lady Reds drop to 12-10 on the season and 3-5 in the Lone Star Conference North Division.

The Lions stay at home to face East Central at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the A&M-Commerce Field House. The game is part of another "Night Out at the Field House," where fans can eat and watch the Lions.