LAKE CHARLES, La. – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team fell to the University of Texas A&M – Commerce, 66-57, in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Southland Women's Basketball Tournament on Tuesday morning.
 
Nina De Leon Negron scored six of UIW's first seven points to set the tone early as the Cardinals came out aggressive with two steals in the first three minutes. Following a 7-3 UIW lead, the Lions found their footing, tying the game at nine and taking a one-point lead to the end quarter, 15-14.
 
Two quick buckets from Jorja Elliott and Chloe Storer reclaimed the Cardinals' lead at 18-15. Commerce proceeded to go on a 9-0 run over the next five and a half minutes, which was broken up by a free throw from Aliyah Collins. UIW ended the first half with 13 offensive rebounds, but only six second chance points to go down, 31-27.
 
TAMUC pulled away with a 10-point advantage in the third quarter, but De Leon Negron was fouled on the way up from an offensive rebound to nail two at the free throw line and cut the lead back down to eight (41-33). The Lions reached the largest lead of the game at 12 points, until a 6-0 run with buckets inside from Destiny Terrell, Storer, and Collins cut the lead back under 10 at 45-39. TAMUC didn't back down and the Cardinals headed into the final ten minutes down, 51-43.
 
UIW continued to chip away at the lead, but the Lions applied pressure in the fourth, extending the lead to ten once more with just under four minutes to go (61-51), ultimately leading to the 66-57 victory for the Lions.
 
The Cardinals ended the game shooting 30 percent from the field, eight percent from 3-point land, and 13-for-21 from the FT line.
 
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