COMMERCE, Texas – Southern Arkansas used a 15-2 run with five and a half minutes remaining in regulation to tie the game at 74, before senior guard Shana Holmes capped the night with a basket inside with four seconds left to give SAU a 76-74 non-conference road victory over Texas A&M-Commerce on Tuesday evening inside The Field House.
 
The win gives Southern Arkansas their first 2-0 start since the 2009-10 season and in the process snaps a 6-game losing streak against the Lions that dated back to November of 2006.
 
Holmes led the charge for the Lady Muleriders as she delivered with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting that including a perfect 7 for 7 from deep in 39 minutes of action. Classmate Rosa Bryant helped shoulder the load by recording her second double-double in as many games with 23 points and 18 rebounds.
 
The first quarter of play ended in a 19-19 tie, but Holmes knocked down back-to-back three pointers to begin the second quarter and give SAU a 25-19 lead; their largest lead of the game. An ensuing 8-0 Lion run was ended by a Makaila Jordan fast break layup that tied the game at 27 with 5:00 left in the first half.
 
A&M-Commerce scored the final four points of the half to take a 38-34 lead into intermission. The Lions would have an opportunity to push their lead to 10 after the break, but a paint bucket from Bryant and an old-fashion three-point play by senior guard Tierra Tucker kept the Lady Muleriders to within four, 43-39 with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter.
 
The Lions' lead would get to 11 in the third stanza, but Tucker would use five of her ten points in the quarter's final 37 seconds to cut the deficit to 58-52, before TAMUC used a three-point play in the final seconds to take a nine point lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Early in the final quarter, Bryant converted a fast break layup to cut into the Lion lead at 67-55. Commerce's lead would grow to 15 and they managed a 13-point advantage with 5:38 before Southern Arkansas engineered an aforementioned 15-2 run that saw six players score to close out the contest.
 
Sophomore forward Aleeya Harris scored down low and Bryant added a bucket and a free throw after being fouled with 4:14 remaining to cut the Commerce lead down to eight, 74-66. After a steal by Bryant, Holmes assisted sophomore guard Rachel Medina for her first basket as a Lady Mulerider and in the process brought the SAU deficit to within two possessions at 74-68.
 
Over two and a half minutes would pass before junior guard Caroline Ficher knocked down a trifecta to pull Southern Arkansas to within a basket, 74-71. With 45 seconds left, true freshman Alyssa Hamilton converted on one of two free throws, and would add an inside bucket via Ficher after Bryant picked up the offensive board on the miss to tie the game at 74, setting up Holmes' drive to the bucket after a pair of Lion misses.
 
Seven Lady Muleriders saw ten or more minutes of action. Tucker led SAU with six assists and three steals and Harris added eight points and five rebounds in 26 minutes of action. As a team, Southern Arkansas shot over 45% from the floor, while forcing 16 turnovers on the defensive end that included outscoring Commerce 12-2 in points off of turnovers in the fourth quarter.
 
The Lady Muleriders continue their early-season road swing as they prepare for a pair of Great American Conference matchups beginning with East Central on November 19 and Southeastern Oklahoma State on November 21. Tip-off on Thursday against the ECU Tigers is slated for 5:30 p.m., while Saturday's matchup with the Savage Storm is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Be sure to visit muleriderathletics.com for pregame updates and postgame recaps of the 2015-16 Lady Mulerider basketball team.