Dec. 3, 2005

Final Stats

COMMERCE - Texas A&M University-Commerce's Kanani Marshal closed the door on Abilene Christian 70-66 in Lone Star Conference crossover action Saturday afternoon with seven of her game-high 21 points in the final three minutes of play.

The Lions (4-1) remained undefeated at the Field House in their final home game of 2005. Including Thursday's win over Angelo State, the Lions have defeated the top two preseason favorites from the LSC South Division. Entering the season picked to win the South, the Wildcats dropped to 2-3 as they let a 62-57 lead slip away in the final minutes.

Marshal led the charge with a three at 2:55 to cut ACU's lead to 62-60. The two-time NJCAA All-America selection then stripped ACU of the ball in the next possession.

Sophomore forward Katedria Mosley followed with a put back of a Lion miss from behind the arc to knot the game at 62-all. Marshal's rebound that led to the bucket gave her the first double-double of her season. The Lions would score nine unanswered points in all, including another jumper from Mosley--her 17th point--and Andrea Lewis.

ACU's Ashley King put in two more foul shots to drop the Lion advantage to 66-64 with 18 second to play. It was left to Marshal to sink two last foul shots to give the Lions the final points of the game.

The Lions made up for their misses around the basket with 13 second-chance points, a majority of those coming in the second period.

The Wildcats took advantage early from three-point range, connecting on three from long distance, but then went 2-for-12 the remainder of the first. The Lions fared just 1-for-9 from three-point territory in the first half, but stuck 12 of their 23 remaining jumpers to take a 31-27 lead into the intermission.

A&M-Commerce took the largest lead of the game with 8:51 to play in the first after an Althea Byfield lay up to make a 21-11 advantage for the Lions.

The Lions were up 42-36 early in the second, but the Wildcats responded with 12 consecutive points over the next four minutes. The Lions closed on ACU until the game was tied at 48-all with 8:28 to play. Neither team would go up by more a bucket for the next five minutes.

Jamie Boles-Lord changed that with a jumper to put the Wildcats up 59-55 with 3:33 remaining. Alex Guiton converted a jumper in the lane and the following free throw from a Lion foul, making a 62-57 ACU lead. For the final three minutes, Marshal and the rest of the Lions held ACU in check for a late comeback victory.

The Lions have had better shooting performances this season, hitting 38.6 percent of the night, while the Wildcats had the edge with 40.0. But the Lions committed just a season-low 14 turnovers.

Andrea Lewis recorded nine points for the Lions, while Rashida Wilson added seven assists.

In the loss, Boles-Lord and Ashley King led with 14 points, as Guiton added 13 and Lacy Blau 10

The Lions will use their momentum when they travel to Oklahoma State on Dec. 6, the second Division I team the Lions have faced this season. They lost on the road to Northwestern State (La.) 84-74 on Nov. 21. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Stillwater, Okla.

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