COMMERCE, Texas (Feb. 15, 2018) - Bri'anna Gray scored a team-high 16 points for Texas Woman's University, while Ma'K'La Woods added 11 and Desiree Phipps posted 10, but the Pioneers were plagued by turnovers in a 68-57 loss to Texas A&M-Commerce Tuesday night inside The Field House.
 
TWU (9-14, 6-11 LSC) outshot the Lions (17-9, 13-5 LSC) from the field, 40-percent to 37-percent, but made just 6-of-15 from the free throw line while A&M-Commerce went 18-of-23. The 25 Pioneer turnovers nearly doubled the 13 from the Lions and were just two away from a season-high.
 
The Lions raced out to an early 7-0 advantage in the first two minutes before Phipps dropped a three for the first Pioneer score. A&M-Commerce built a 10-point lead with a minute remaining in the quarter, and Phipps knocked in another three to trim to deficit to 20-13 heading into the second.
 
A three-point play by Morgan Easley kept it a seven-point contest, and a layup by Woods made it 24-18 four minutes into the period. The Lions again jumped ahead by double-digits at 30-20, but Gray made a layup to cut into A&M-Commerce's lead before the half.
 
The Pioneers opened the second half on a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the game. Woods scored on the opening play, KJ Stastny hit a three from the left baseline, and Gray put in two buckets underneath for a 31-30 TWU advantage at the 7:30 mark. Three straight Pioneers turnovers allowed the Lions to rattle off seven straight points with a pair of free throws, a jumper and a three-pointer to take a 37-31 lead. A&M-Commerce built the lead to 44-35 on a three with just under three minutes left in the quarter, but Gray answered with one of her own and hit one free throw to cut the deficit to 44-39. The Lions scored the final five points to jump ahead, 49-39, heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Woods again opened the quarter with a field goal, this time a three-pointer from the top, to pull the Pioneers within 49-42. Easley had TWU within 57-49 on a layup, but A&M-Commerce rattled off eight straight points over the next two minutes to increase the margin to 65-49.
 
Head Coach Beth Jillson said, "We did some good things. We shot well from the field and battled on the boards. Too many turnovers led to too many points by them, though."
 
The Pioneers travel to face Tarleton State Saturday at 2 p.m.