HOUSTON – A back-and-forth game featuring 15 lead changes saw the HCU women's basketball team lose late to Texas A&M-Commerce Thursday night in Sharp Gym.
 
HCU (7-8, 2-2 SLC) jumped out to a quick lead in the first quarter when Abbey Sutherland made a baseline jumper on HCU's opening possession. Texas A&M-Commerce (6-10, 4-0 SLC) responded with a three pointer and made free throw to claim their first lead of the night. Commerce went on a 7-0 run after tying the game at 11 before N'Denasija Collins made a layup with 28 seconds left to cut the Lady Lion lead to five, 18-13.
 
HCU and Commerce both struggled from the floor to open the second quarter, combining to make just two shots in the first four minutes. After Kennedy Wilson knocked down a three ball at the six minute mark, the Lady Lions scored on back-to-back possessions to claim their largest lead of the night, 24-16.
 
HCU eventually cut the lead down to one after Kennedy Wilson and Jo Oly combined for 13 straight points. Julija Vujakovic hit a three as the half ended and Commerce took a 33-29 lead into the third.
 
HCU regained the lead for the first time since the opening possession of the game in the beginning of the third quarter when Marilyn Nzoiwu made a layup, Wilson knocked down a free throw, and Collins made a three pointer to lead 35-33. Both teams fought hard on both ends of the floor, made big shots, forced turnovers, and knocked down free throws. There were six lead changes in the final seven minutes of the quarter, and HCU had the advantage 54-53 heading to the final quarter.
 
Both teams went ice cold from the floor in the fourth. Both teams knocked down free throws in the opening minutes of the period before Vujakovic made a jumper with just under four minutes left in the game to give Huskies a three point lead.
 
Trailing by three with the ball and just one minute to play, Olivia Russell nailed a three pointer coming off a screen to tie things up with HCU coming down the home stretch. After missing a layup, the Huskies fouled the Lions coming out of a timeout to send them to the foul line. Laila Lawrence knocked down both free throw opportunities to put the Lions up two.
 
After calling a timeout, Collins drove hard into the paint and was fouled. She went to the foul line with a chance to tie the game but missed her first shot before knocking down the second. HCU then fouled once more and the Lions knocked down two more free throws, now leading 65-62. HCU had one last chance to tie things up coming out of a timeout with four seconds left, good on-ball defense forced Enya Maguire into a tough look at a three which missed short and the Lions downed the Huskies.
 
Collins continued her dominant stretch of games. Her final line was 19 points and five rebounds. Oly provided a huge spark off the bench with 13 points on three-of-four shooting from distance. Wilson finished with 13 points while Abbey Sutherland finished with a team high nine rebounds.
 
HCU heads to Louisiana this weekend to take on the McNeese before returning to Sharp Gym next week.