Aubrey Maxwell scored 33 points, including three straight field goals down the stretch to help Abilene Christian hold off Texas A&M-Commerce, 88-82, in Thursday's quarterfinal round of the Lone Star Conference women's championship at Bruin Field House.

            Maxwell added 13 rebounds for the Wildcats, who also received 22 points from Alex Guiton. ACU (18-10) needed every bit of it to hold off the Lions, who were paced by junior guard Britney Jordan, who scored 38 points and dished out 12 assists.

Abilene Christian, the No. 2 seed in the LSC South, advances to Saturday's semifinal round to play the winner of Tarleton State-Central Oklahoma.

            The season will likely end for A&M-Commerce, which advanced to the Elite Eight last season but finished 19-9 this year.

            ACU avenged an 86-80 overtime loss to A&M-Commerce back on Jan. 12. In that game, it was one of only five games where Maxwell was held under double-digits in scoring with nine points on just 3-of-5 shooting from the field.

            But Maxwell redeemed herself early on in Thursday's rematch in Bartlesville. The junior center scored the first eight points for ACU and had 17 of her team's first 29 points.

            Maxwell not only kept the pace in the second half, but attacked the boards as well, posting her 12^th double-double of the season and 24^th of her career.

            Trailing by as much as 14 in the first half and 11 at halftime, A&M-Commerce kept the game close and even grabbed a quick lead with 11:08 to play, thanks to Jordan and senior center Katrina Mosley, who became the school's all-time leading scorer with 14 points, just passing former Lion standout Meshell Graham (1984-88), who had 1,600 points.

            Mosley needed 13 points for the school record and hit the mark with a key layup with 3:39 to play, cutting ACU's lead to 71-69.

            But that's when Maxwell took over for the Wildcats, hitting two straight short jumpers to push the lead to six. Maxwell also added another free throw and a layup to score seven points in a key 8-2 run that pushed ACU over the top.

            Kelsey Darby came off the Wildcats' bench to score 10 points, making both of her 3-point attempts.

            ACU racked up its 28^th win in the LSC Tournament and advance to the semifinal round for the 18^th time in school history.

ACU Quotes

Shawna Lavendar

Abilene Christian

"I felt like our girls really came out and tried to be more physical, be more aggressive. The biggest key was getting them off the offensive glass. For a team like Commerce to hold them to eight rebounds is quite exceptional. It was a big improvement in that area."

"We played smart basketball and did much a better job taking care of the ball."

"Teams have a hard time guarding our post players one-on-one. When they started to collapse we stepped up and hit the opening shots. We did a good job reacting to the defense and being able to take what they gave us."

(on letting Commerce back in the game)

"Our girls were not panicking. Even though we were down, I still felt like we had the momentum. We were OK. I was never worried, I felt like we had a lot of weapons that we could still use."

"I felt pretty good about the way we played. We made some turnovers when we shouldn't and still could make better decisions on shot selection. I have a lot of confidence in our squad and their ability to respond to any situation."

Audrey Maxwell

"We came out here ready to play. We knew what to expect. We knew how important this game was since were not regionally ranked high."

"They started leaving the post open and we found a ways to score. I knew when I scored my first three baskets it was going to be a good game for me."

Alex Guiton

"We played fairly well tonight. We can play better. No one can guard Audrey one-on-one. When they double-teamed her, I had to deliver. There is not a team in this tournament we can't beat. We are playing much different the way we played earlier this year."

Kelsey Darby

"We were trying to be strong with the ball. It was fun going into this game. Everyone was ready to play."

A&M-C QUOTES

Head Coach Denny Downing

Opening statement...

"I think we just got beat by a better team on this day.  I looked at halftime and we were down nine and they had shot 60 percent and I told my kids there is no way they can do that again.  Our kids responded, holding them to 35 percent shooting.  We made a great run."

Katedria Mosley

On competition in the post...

"Tonight she was.  She played real well tonight.  I believe the freshman at Southwestern is pretty good."

Britney Jordan

What you're feeling right now...

"Not good.  Last year we went all the way, and we lose in the first round of the tournament this year.  The feeling is completely different."

AbileneChristian notes:

• Abilene Christian scored the first six points of the game and is now 11-5 when scoring first in 2007-08.

• The Wildcats lead by 14 with 6:31 remaining in the half and took a 49-38 lead into intermission.  They are 13-4 this year when leading at the break.
• Audrey Maxwell and Alex Guiton, ACU's top-two scorers on the season, combined for a 16-for-25 (64%) shooting performance from the floor.  Maxwell's 33 points and Guiton's 22 marked the first time all season the duo has had 20 points each in a game.

• When Maxwell scores 20+ points in a game, ACU is 8-3 on the season.  Maxwell registered her 12th "double-double" of the season (33 pts., 13 reb.).  The Wildcats are 7-5 when she accomplishes that feat.

• The 88 points for ACU was its fifth-highest output of the season and the Wildcats are 6-2 when breaking the 80-point plateau.
  
  The Wildcats recorded their 28^th win in the LSC Tournament, the second-highest total in league history and one behind West Texas A&M's 29 wins.

• Abilene Christian will be making its 18th appearance in the tournament semi-finals.  They are 13-4 in their previous 17 trips.

Texas A&M-Commerce Notes

For the 12th this season, Brittney Jordan reached double figures in the
first half of a game. Her 18 first-half points is the most before the
break for the junior this season and less than a point shy of her season
per game average. Jordan entered the tournament averaging 18.9 points per
game and is the third-leading scorer in the LSC.

Jordan reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season and fifth
time in her career. She ended the game with a season-high 38 points, tying
her previous mark set Nov. 23 against Washburn. It marked the second time
in LSC Tournament play she scored at least 30 points, setting the
tournament mark with 43 points in the first round of the 2007 event.

Senior Katedria Mosley became the all-time leading scorer for
A&M-Commerce. She ended the game with 14 points, giving her 1,601 for her
career, passing Meshell Graham (1,600, 1984-88).

The 47 points allowed by the Lions in the first half is the most given up
all season.

A&M-C used a 17-5 run to start the second half to erase an 11-point
halftime deficit, 49-38. At the conclusion of their run, the Lions took
their first lead of the game, 55-54, with just more than 11 minutes left
in the game. However, ACU used an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to
take back control of the contest.

The last time the defending women's tournament champion fell in the first
round was Angelo State in 2003. The Rambelles fell 70-55 to Southwestern
Oklahoma in the first round in San Angelo.

With 12 assists in the loss to Abilene Christian, Britney Jordan tied the
LSC Tournament record for assists in a game. Her career-best tying tally
matches the mark set on three previous occasions in tournament play.