ENMU women ousted

FRISCO, Texas — Leading by 17 points heading into the fourth quarter, Texas A&M-Commerce had to hold off a furious rally by Eastern New Mexico to hang on for a 77-70 win in the final quarterfinal game Friday of the LSC Championship.

With the lead down to just two points in the final minute, Lions guard Princess Davis hit a clutch layup in the lane, followed by two free throws to finally give her team the cushion needed to survive and upset the Greyhounds, the No. 4 seed.

The fifth-seeded Lions (20-9) were to face the No. 1 seeded West Texas A&M Lady Buffs Saturday night in the LSC Championship semifinal round.

The win should help the Texas A&M-Commerce, which was ranked eighth in last week’s South Central Regional rankings, with the top eight teams advancing. For the Greyhounds (19-10), who were ranked seventh, they must hope for a bid to remain in the top eight.

Davis, a second-team All-LSC performer, led all scorers with 25 points, which included 12 points in the first quarter as the Lions raced out to a 23-11 lead remained up 12 at the half, and then up 17 after three quarters.

Despite training 59-42 entering the fourth, the Greyhounds weren’t ready to quit. A 12-0 run by ENMU cut the lead down to five before Commerce guard Mykiel Burleson hit a 3-pointer to end the run. But ENMU’s Jena Mehlbrech answered with a 3-pointer and the Lions led by five again with 6:59 to play.

The Greyhounds were able to slice the lead down to 2 on a bucket from freshman Laura Rowe with a minute to play. But Davis answered for Commerce, weaving into the lane for a big basket and a four-point lead. After a Greyhounds turnover, Davis hit two more free throws to clinch the game.

Alexus Jones added 14 points for Commerce, while Chania Wright had 13. Alexis Bryant had six points and 12 rebounds.

For the Greyhounds, Treyanna Clay had 14 points and eight rebounds before fouling out. It was the 23rd-consecutive game in double figures for Clay, the LSC’s newcomer of the year and first-team All-LSC pick.

Alivia Lewis had her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Shelby Jones pitched in with 10. Melhbrech came off the bench to score 11.

The South Central Region includes the Lone Star, Heartland Rocky Mountain Athletic conferences. It receives eight spots in the national tournament. Conference tournament champions each receive a berth, and the remaining five are giving to the highest-polling teams remaining.