Feb. 28, 2006

Final Stats

COMMERCE, Texas - Rashida Wilson wrote herself into the A&M-Commerce history books in more than one way Tuesday night. Her game-winning free throws with 8.1 seconds gave the Lions their first-ever Lone Star Conference Tournament win in the Field House with a 60-59 comeback over Tarleton State in the quarterfinals.

Just four minutes into the game, the junior guard broke the single-season record for assists in a season by a Lion.

The Lions (16-12), the No. 2 seed in North Division, trailed with 53 seconds to play when Isha Brown scored a layup to give the TexAnns a 59-54 lead. Wilson responded immediately after being foul with a pair of free throws to bring the Lions within three with 47 seconds on the clock.

Brown was sent to the line with the 19-9 TexAnns, the No. 3 seed in the LSC South, in the bonus but missed the front of the one-and-one. Althea Byfield secured the first of her three rebounds in the final minute, grabbing a second on the offensive end the next possession and scoring the putback off a miss from Lion guard Kanani Marshal. The Lions trailed just 59-58 with 28 seconds left in the second period.

In near identical fashion, Tarleton State was sent to the line but failed to convert on the first free throw as Byfield grabbed the miss. After a called Lion timeout, Wilson drove to the basket, got her own rebound and was fouled going up for a shot under the basket. The first free throw was all net, and second went down just as smooth after a Tarleton timeout. The Lions had their first lead since 8:38 in the second half at 60-59, giving the TexAnns possession with 8.1 seconds on the clock.

Katie Crawford went the length of the court and dished to Iveta Griffin, whose shot fell short off the glass. Crawford's last-second tip rimmed off as the clock ran out. She hit for 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including six 3-pointers, in addition to 10 rebounds--all game highs.

Marshal sank five 3-pointers to lead the Lions offensively with 17 points, while Katedria Mosley added 14 points. All four of Rashida Wilson's four points came off free throws in the final minute, as she netted her school-record 156th assist on eight dishes.

The largest lead of the first half was Tarleton's 24-21 advantage with seven minutes to play in the first. The Lions ended the half with a Byfield free throw to cut the deficit to 34-32 at the break. The Lions controlled the boards for consecutive games with a 40-37 edge. Lions were 21-for-58 from the field (36 percent), which topped TSU's 22-for-62 (35 percent) shooting on the night.

The Lions jumped out of the second half on an 11-5 run to take a 43-39 lead with four minutes gone. A three from Marshal and a jumper from Dawn Montgomery would make that a 50-43 advantage, the largest lead of the night for either side.

A 12-4 run, ending in Brown's layup in the final minute in Tarleton State's favor, reversed the lead to 59-54. They were the last points Tarleton State scored before the Lions ended the game on six unanswered points.

The Lions will travel to Canyon to face the nation's 17th-ranked team, West Texas A&M, in the semifinals of the LSC Tournament on Friday at 6 p.m.

West Texas A&M, the South's No. 1 seed, defeated the North's No. 4 Cameron, 93-61, Tuesday night in Canyon.