Games between No. 4 and No. 5 seeds are expected to be the more entertaining matchups of any tournament.
Thursday’s quarterfinal game between Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce was no exception, resulting in the first overtime game of the LSC Championships at the Allen Event Center.
But the higher-seeded team prevailed in the end as the TexAnns edged Commerce, 78-74, thanks to clutch free throw shooting and stingy defense in overtime. TSU’s Ikpeaku Iwobi broke open a tie game with a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:19 to play. She then made two free throws with 9.7 seconds left to push the lead to five and then Breanna Fuller hit another foul shot with .4 seconds to ice the game completely.
The win improves the TexAnns to 17-10 and moves them to Friday’s semifinal round to face No. 1 seed West Texas A&M. The season will likely end for the Lions, who wrap up the year with a 16-13 mark.
At the end of regulation, Tarleton held a 66-62 lead with 1:01 remaining after Raven McGrath hit a 3-pointer. But two free throws by Shomari Harris, followed by a turnover by the TexAnns, Commerce got the ball back with a chance to tie. Artaejah Gay made a driving layup to knot the game at 66. Tarleton’s last shot by Bailey Wipff rimmed off, forcing the extra period.
In overtime, Iwobi hit a jumper on Tarleton’s first possession and her team never trailed again, although the Lions did manage to tie the game three times before Iwobi’s big 3-pointer.
Four of the five TSU starters finished in double figures, led by McGrath’s 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Iwobi had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Fuller had 16 points, seven boards and three blocks. Wipff had 14 with four steals, while Morgan Ashmore led the team with seven assists.
For the Lions, Gay led the team with 20 points, while Princess Davis scored 17 points with seven assists. Krystal Pickron scored 11 off the bench. Harris had an all-around performance of nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Tarleton State Press Conference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwZr26bdYkw
Texas A&M-Commerce Press Conference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8ERxyC1KAc
Tarleton State Notes
- Raven McGrath tallied her second career 20-plus point game (22 at Texas A&M-Commerce 1/31/15) and came within one point of tying her career-high
- Second overtime game of the season for the TexAnns (1-1)
- With the first of 10 rebounds in the game for Ikpeaku Iwobi, she collected her 200th rebound of the season marking the second-straight year of 200 rebounds and marked her 19th career double-double
- Raven McGrath buried five triples in the game giving her 105 for her career which is seventh all-time, while teammate Bailey Wipff hit two for 102 and is eighth all-time in school history
- Morgan Ashmore tallied seven assists (340 career – 9th in school history) in the game for the 27th time in her career of five or more dimes, while McGrath had six assists for the ninth time of five or more
- Tarleton State improved to 2-4 all-time as the No. 4-seed in the LSC Championship and moves on to face top-seeded West Texas A&M Friday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals. The two teams split the season series with both winning on their home court
- TSU now is 9-12 all-time in the LSC Championship and 6-8 in the quarterfinal round
- The TexAnns moved to 5-3 on the year in games decided by five points or less
- Four of the starters combined for 70 of the 78 points
Texas A&M-Commerce Notes
- Texas A&M-Commerce is making its 21st appearance and fourth-straight showing in the LSC Tournament
- Texas A&M-Commerce is now 10-20 at the LSC Championships
- Thursday’s overtime game was the first in the LSC Women’s Basketball Championship since the 2014 LSC semifinal between Midwestern State and West Texas A&M
- Tarleton State defeated Texas A&M-Commerce in the LSC quarterfinals for the second time in the last three seasons
- Artaejah Gay led the Lions in scoring for the fourth time with her 15th double-figure scoring performance of the season with 20 points
- Princess Davis scored in double digits for the 15th time this season with 17 points while adding seven assists, one shy of matching her career high