COMMERCE, Tx. – The women's basketball team set the tone early and never surrendered the lead, defeating East Texas A&M 71-53 on Wednesday night at the Field House.

The Huskies came out aggressive on both ends, building an 8-0 lead in the opening minutes. Grace Booth scored inside to get HCU started, and Jordan Jackson added a three-pointer as the Huskies established control. Houston Christian shot 63.6 percent in the opening frame and closed the quarter ahead 18-13.

HCU extended its lead to as many as 12 midway through the second after buckets from Jo Oly and Kamryn McLaurin pushed the advantage to 29-17. East Texas A&M trimmed the margin late, but the Huskies maintained composure and entered halftime leading 29-21.

The game broke open in the third. Tove Caesar knocked down a three to start the period, and Booth followed with a three-pointer of her own as the Huskies went on a decisive run. Houston Christian shot 52.6 percent in the quarter and connected on 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. A Jackson three with just over three minutes remaining extended the lead to 23, and HCU outscored the Lions 27-14 in the period to take a commanding 56-35 lead into the fourth.

East Texas A&M attempted to chip away early in the final period, but the Huskies responded inside. Booth continued to control the paint, and Sidney Carr added a fast-break layup to maintain a 20-point cushion. Houston Christian led by as many as 25 before securing the 71-53 conference road win.

Booth led HCU with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Jackson added 11 points, while Oly contributed 10 off the bench. The Huskies dominated inside with 40 points in the paint and held East Texas A&M to 32.3 percent shooting.

HCU improves to 8-17 overall and 6-12 in Southland Conference play.