By: Houston Taylor
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Texas A&M-Commerce guard Britney Jordan and Southern Arkansas guard Goldie White matched each other throughout, but in the end it was Jordan’s Lions sneaking away with an 85-82 win Tuesday over the Lady Muleriders at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
An honorable mention All-America selection last year, Jordan poured in 34 points including nine consecutive down the stretch. White was in step, with a career-high 33 points.
With the score tied 76-76 at 5:02, Jordan hit a pair of jumpers while White added a bucket and two free throws, tying the game at 80 apiece with 1:22 left. But Jordan’s three-pointer gave A&M-Commerce the lead for good at 1:09. White managed just two more freebies from there, while Jordan ended with another jumper to punctuate the win.
SAU held a 10-point margin (58-48) at the 15-minute mark, but a 22-12 run from the Lions erased that.
A&M-Commerce (3-0) led 10-4 to start the game, but Southern Arkansas (1-4) hit 16 first half free throws and shot 52 percent (13-25) from the floor to knot things up 44-44 at the half.
Jordan was 14 of 27 from the floor, including one trey, and hit 5 of 6 free throws in tallying her 34 points. She also had five rebounds, dished out five assists, and had five steals in 38 minutes of action.
White played the whole 40 minutes, shooting 9 of 17 with a three-pointer and canning 14 of 17 free throws for her 33. She pulled down seven rebounds and had two assists and one steal.
The Lions shot 50 percent in shooting 37 of 74, including 4 of 16 (25.0) from beyond the arc, and hit 7 of 9 (77.8) free throws. The Lady Muleriders finished 27 of 59 (45.8), 5 of 14 (35.7), and knocked down 23 of 28 (82.1) at the free throw line.
A&M-Commerce held a narrow 38-36 rebound advantage and did most their damage inside, out-scoring SAU, 60-26. The Lions had 16 turnovers to Southern Arkansas’ 21.
Desiree Waller added 17 points for A&M-Commerce, and Nola Taylor finished with 12.
Kmaria Hobbs scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Lady Muleriders, and Kristy Shinn finished with a career-high 15 points.
Following the Thanksgiving holiday, SAU travels Saturday to Natchitoches, La., to face NCAA Division I Northwestern State in a 2 p.m. contest.
