TAMUC – Sports

 

TRACK AND FIELD

Rashard Clark named LSC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week after breaking multiple school records.

RICHARDSON–Texas A&M University-Commerce track and field athlete Rashard Clark has been named the Lone Star Conference Men’s Track Athlete of the Week. The award was announced Wednesday by the conference office.

Clark– a junior from Los Angeles– re-set his LSC record in the 400 meters and set a new school record in the 200 meters at the 3rd Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic. In the 400 meters, he ran the nation’s second-fastest time with a 46.94 – an LSC record for the second straight week. He is the only man in LSC history to break 47 seconds in the indoor 400 meters. It is an automatic qualifying mark. He established the school 200 meters record with a provisional qualifying time of 21.49 seconds. It is the second-fastest in the LSC and eighth-fastest in the nation this season. Clark has set four A&M-Commerce records this season in the 200 meters, 300 yards, 400 meters, and 4×400 meters relay.

Clark and the Lions return to action on Friday at the Texas Tech Matador Qualifier at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock. The meet will be the final meet before the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships, which will be held Feb 24-25 in Lubbock.

LONE STAR CONFERENCE TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Men’s Track
J-30 Marcus Parker, Eastern New Mexico
F-7 Daniel Gyasi, West Texas A&M
F-14 Rashard Clark, Texas A&M-Commerce

Men’s Field
J-30 Charles Greaves, Texas A&M-Kingsville
F-7 Abraham Seaneke, West Texas A&M
F-14 Abraham Seaneke, West Texas A&M (2)

Women’s Track
J-30 Laura Alicke, Texas A&M-Commerce
F-7 Nele Heinrich, West Texas A&M
F-14 Valda Kabia, West Texas A&M

Women’s Field
J-30 Hailey Wanoreck, Texas A&M-Commerce
F-7 Rellie Kaputin, West Texas A&M
F-14 Fatim Affessi, West Texas A&M

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Women’s Basketball ranked 10th in initial South Central Regional Rankings.

INDIANAPOLIS– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team is ranked 10th in the first edition of the 2017-18 NCAA South Central Regional rankings. The South Central Region consists of the Lone Star, Heartland, and Rocky Mountain Athletic conferences. The rankings were released on Wednesday by the NCAA.

A&M-Commerce is one of four teams from the Lone Star Conference in the rankings. Angelo State is ranked second followed by West Texas A&M in third and Tarleton State in the eighth. Ranked in the top spot is Lubbock Christian. The tournament champions of the LSC, HC, and RMAC, as well as five at-large teams, will advance to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament, hosted by the team that finishes the season in the No. 1 spot. The regional tournament is set to begin on March 9.

Four of the Lions’ nine losses this season have come to teams in the rankings. The Lions have wins over Angelo State, West Texas A&M, Metro State and Tarleton State.

The Lions are currently 16-9 with a conference record of 12-5. The team is now in third place in the conference rankings with three games left in the regular season. The Lions will host Texas Woman’s University on Thursday at 7 p.m. The game is in conjunction with Daddy-Daughter Date Night and is also the Lions’ Play4Kay game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game in support of cancer awareness.

The Lone Star Conference Championship will begin Thursday, March 1 at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco.

NCAA DII South Central Region Rankings
as of February 14, 2018

Pl.	School	DII Record	In-Region
1.	Lubbock Christian	21-1	21-0
2.	Angelo State	18-4	17-4
3.	West Texas A&M	18-4	16-4
4.	Colorado State-Pueblo	19-6	18-6
5.	Arkansas-Fort Smith	15-8	15-8
6.	Metro State	18-7	16-7
7.	Fort Lewis	17-6	17-6
8.	Tarleton State	15-8	15-8
9.	Black Hills State	16-6	16-6
10.	A&M-COMMERCE	14-8	14-8

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Men’s Basketball ranked 7th in initial South Central Regional Rankings.

INDIANAPOLIS– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team is ranked seventh in the first edition of the 2017-18 NCAA South Central Regional rankings. The South Central Region consists of the Lone Star, Heartland, and Rocky Mountain Athletic conferences. The rankings were released on Wednesday by the NCAA.

A&M-Commerce is one of five teams from the Lone Star Conference in the rankings. West Texas A&M is ranked first followed by UT Permian Basin in second, Angelo State in the eighth, and Tarleton State in ninth. The tournament champions of the LSC, HC, and RMAC, as well as five at-large teams, will advance to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament, hosted by the team that finishes the season in the No. 1 spot. The regional tournament is set to begin on March 10.

Five of the Lions’ seven losses this season have come to teams in the rankings. The Lions have wins over Angelo State and Tarleton State.

The Lions are currently 18-7 with a conference record of 10-6. The team is now in fourth place in the conference rankings with two games left in the regular season. The Lions return to action on Feb. 22 with a home game against West Texas A&M, the top seed in the region. The Lions will then host UT Permian Basin on Saturday, Feb. 24.

The Lone Star Conference Championship will begin Friday, March 2 at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco.

NCAA DII South Central Region Rankings
as of February 14, 2018

Pl.	School	DII Record	In-Region
1.	West Texas A&M	21-1	21-0
2.	UT Permian Basin	18-4	17-4
3.	Arkansas-Fort Smith	18-4	16-4
4.	Fort Lewis	19-6	18-6
5.	Regis (Colorado)	15-8	15-8
6.	Dallas Baptist	18-7	16-7
7.	A&M-COMMERCE	14-8	14-8
8.	Angelo State	15-8	15-8
9.	Tarleton State	16-6	16-6
10.	Colorado Mines	14-8	14-8

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Furious Lion comeback falls short in 77-73 loss at Tarleton.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team rallied from a large second-half deficit to get within one possession in the final seconds but ultimately fell 77-73 to Tarleton State University in Wisdom Gym on Tuesday night.

The Lions complete a stretch of five road games in 12 days – including the Lions’ two most extended LSC weekend road trips – with a record of 18-7 overall and 10-6 in the Lone Star Conference. Tarleton is now 16-9 overall and 11-5 in LSC play.

A&M-Commerce returns to action a week from Thursday on February 24 at 7:30 p.m. against West Texas A&M. For more information and tickets to the game, contact the Lion Sales and Service Box Office at (903) 468-8756.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Lions trailed by as many as 23 points before rallying back to within one possession in the final seconds.
– A&M-Commerce made 48.3 percent of its shots from the floor (29-of-60) in the game, including 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from long range.
– The Lions shot 62.5 percent (20-of-32) in the second half.
– The Lions went to the free throw line 10 times, making nine.
– Tarleton shot 50.0 percent (26-of-52) in the game, made 10-of-26 (38.5 percent) of its three-point shots, and made 15-of-23 (65.2 percent) of its free throws.
– Four Lions scored in double figures, led by 15 points from Joseph Williams-Powell, who also had five rebounds.
– Willie Rooks scored 14 points, including four three-pointers.
– Reggie Reid scored 12 points with seven assists and five rebounds.
– Aaron Horne scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds.
– Daquane Willford scored nine points and pulled down five rebounds.
– The Lions had a 33-30 rebounding edge over the Texans.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Texans opened the scoring with a pair of inside baskets before Rooks drained a long three-pointer to open the Lion account. Tarleton continued to score from the inside while the Lion post duo of Williams-Powell and Dorian Armstrong scored in the paint.

A&M-Commerce trailed by four points with 13 minutes remaining when the Tarleton outside aerial attack began. Six consecutive Texan scores came from behind the arc, and an 18-point run for the hosts had TSU up 36-15 with 3:13 to go.

Not deterred were the Lions despite a five-minute scoreless streak. Willford converted five points, and Reid scored a layup. William Powell’s last-second layup made it a 41-24 margin at the break.

The Lions shot 32.1 percent in the opening 20 minutes, making 9-of-28 shots. Tarleton made seven three-pointers in their 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) first-half shooting rate. Tarleton also had a 19-15 edge on the boards.

Tarleton netted 10 points in the opening 3:30 of the second half to stretch its lead to a game-high 23 points before the Lions charged back.

Rooks canned consecutive triples to kick start a 13-0 Lion rally. Willford’s layup at the 13:08 mark cut the lead to 10 points at 51-41 with 13:08 left on the clock. Tarleton would be able to extend its lead back out to as many as 18 points with 8:35 to go, but the Lions would not go away.

A 14-5 Lion surge included four Williams-Powell baskets and a Conrod layup with 1:47 to go got the Lions back to within single digits at 69-60. With one minute to play, the Texans led 73-63.

Reid nailed a free throw, and Horne put in a layup with just under 30 seconds left to make it 74-68 – only two possessions down. Srdan Budimir drew a foul on a three-pointer attempt to cut the lead to four points after a TSU free throw. Willford tipped in a bucket with just under eight seconds left to cut the lead to 75-73 and the Lions forced a turnover in the corner, giving A&M-Commerce a chance to tie or win in the final seconds.

Unfortunately for the Lions, the inbounds play was unable to convert, and they were forced to foul. Tarleton made two late free throws, and the Lions’ desperation heave at the buzzer did not convert.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Lions were unable to overcome fourth-quarter Tarleton surge in 68-53 loss.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team fell behind Tarleton State University after a big run early in the fourth quarter, and the Lions were unable to come back in a 68-53 loss at Wisdom Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

The Lions fall to 16-9 overall and 12-5 in the Lone Star Conference. The TexAnns move to 17-8 overall and 11-6 in LSC action.

A&M-Commerce returns to the Field House on Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff on Play4Kay Night against Texas Women University. The night will also be “Daddy-Daughter Date Night.” For more information and tickets to the game, contact the Lion Sales and Service Box Office at (903) 468-8756.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Artaejah Gay scored 14 points and was the only Lion in double figures scoring. She also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds. Princess Davis scored nine points.
– The Lions shot 38.9 percent (21-of-54) in the contest but made only 2-of-16 (12.5 percent) of their three-point attempts.
– Tarleton shot 50.0 percent (27-of-54) for the game, including 62.5 percent (15-of-24) in the second half and 75.0 percent (9-of-12) in the fourth quarter.
– The teams combined for 54 turnovers in the game, with the TexAnns conceding the ball 29 times and the Lions turning the ball over 25 times.
– Tarleton had a 39-27 rebounding advantage.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions struck first with two early transition buckets by Melanie Ransom, and another basket from Gay gave the Lions a 6-2 lead after just two minutes of play. TSU then heated up, scoring 13 points in a row to take a significant lead. Turnovers plagued the Lions in the first half, and the TexAnns capitalized, pushing their lead to 24-12 at the end of the first quarter.

A three from Alex Nance to start the second quarter brought the Tarleton lead back down to single digits. Davis also got to the free throw line early in the quarter, and the Lions cut the TexAnn lead down to just five points midway through the quarter.

A 6-0 run by the Lions brought them to within one point with three minutes left in the quarter. Both teams then went cold, with TSU scoring three more points and taking a 30-26 lead into halftime.

Davis led the Lions with seven points in the first half. Gay added six points in the first half. The Lions had 13 turnovers in the first quarter but only had two in the second quarter. Both teams had 15 giveaways in half, but TSU had an 18-7 advantage in points off of turnovers.

Tarleton pushed the lead back up to seven points with a triple on the first possession of the second half, and the TexAnns were able to get out to a nine-point advantage in the first two minutes of the frame before the Lions mounted a strong comeback. London Holland, Jocelyn Pierce, and Gay made baskets on consecutive trips down the floor as A&M-Commerce kept the hosts off of the scoreboard for nearly five minutes of action.

A 6-2 Lion run capped by a Davis layup at the 1:37 mark tied the game back up at 42-42. The TexAnns nailed a long-range three-pointer late in the clock to give TSU a 45-42 lead with 10 minutes of action left.

The TexAnns scored the opening five points of the fourth quarter in the opening minute to establish an eight-point lead. A Tiara Tatum three-pointer from the corner put the Lions down by double digits again with eight minutes remaining. The Lions missed six straight shots in the TexAnn run.

That run by TSU rolled over into the fourth quarter, as the Lions were only able to connect on one field goal in the opening five minutes of the period. Tarleton outscored the Lions 22-3 in a five-minute span, to suddenly surge to a 64-45 lead. The Lions scored five straight points, and Courtney Fields made a late triple, but the Lions were unable to mount a significant comeback.

 

WOMEN’S GOLF

Lions finish in 12th at Rattler Invitational.

SAN ANTONIO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team finished the Rattler Invitational in 12th place after a tough round Tuesday.

The Lions shot a 46-over par 334 in the round, finishing with a 36-hole total of 659 (+83, 325-334).

Paige-Lee Garris was the top finisher for the Lions thanks to three birdies on the day. She shot a 6-over par 78 on the day, an improvement of two strokes from Monday’s round. She placed 21st for the event with a 14-over par total of 158.

Sophie-Charlott Hempel was only one stroke behind Garris is 27th place, totaling a 15-over par 159. She shot an 8-over par 80 on Tuesday with one birdie.

Lexi Bubenchik placed 64th on the leaderboard at 171, Lauren Leslie placed 69th at 175, and Makena Thomas placed 71st at 177. Dallas Baptist was the tournament winner at 590.

The Lions return to action next Monday at the St. Edward’s Invitational at Onion Creek Golf Club in Austin.

Rattler Invitational
Dominion CC | San Antonio, Texas
Par 72, 5976 yards

Team Standings

Rank	Team	Scores		Total	Par
1.	Dallas Baptist	294	296	590	+14
2.	St. Mary’s	306	302	608	+32
3.	St. Edward’s	310	307	617	+41
4.	Southwestern Oklahoma State	315	304	619	+43
5.	West Texas A&M	319	314	633	+57
6.	Midwestern State	320	314	634	+58
	Missouri-St. Louis	316	318	634	+58
8.	Henderson State	329	316	645	+69
9.	Northeastern State	327	320	647	+71
10.	Rogers State	326	325	651	+75
11.	Arkansas-Fort Smith	323	330	653	+77
12.	A&M-COMMERCE	325	334	659	+83
13.	Cameron	326	336	662	+86
14.	Angelo State	338	339	677	+101
15.	Western New Mexico	338	341	679	+103
16.	Hawai’i-Hilo	363	363	726	+150
17.	Texas A&M International	381	383	764	+188

A&M-Commerce	325	334	659	+83	12th
Paige-Lee Garris	80	78	158	+14	t-21st
Sophie-Charlott Hempel	79	80	159	+15	t-27th
Lexi Bubenchik	80	91	171	+27	t-64th
Lauren Leslie	86	89	175	+31	69th
Makena Thomas	90	87	177	+33	t-71st

FOOTBALL

Colby Carthel named Football Coach of the Year by Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame.

AMARILLO – Texas A&M University-Commerce head football coach Colby Carthel was honored by the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame as the Football Coach of the Year at the Hall of Fame’s 60th annual banquet Sunday.

Carthel is a native of Friona, Texas, and is the first Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame Coach of the Year honoree to represent a school outside of the Panhandle at the time of his honor. It is the first coach of the year honor won by Carthel in his time at A&M-Commerce.

Being honored at the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame banquet has become a family affair for the Carthels, as Carthel’s wife, Sarah, and father, Don, were both inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. Don Carthel also won the Football Coach of the Year award in 2005, 2007, and 2012, while head coach at West Texas A&M.

Colby Carthel recently completed his fifth season as the head football coach at A&M-Commerce, leading the Lions to the 2017 NCAA Division II Football National Championship for A&M-Commerce’s first-ever NCAA national championship.

The Lions won the Triple Crown of Division II football with the National Championship, the Harlon Hill Trophy for the top player in Division II football, and the Elite 90 Award for the high-grade point average at the NCAA Championship.

In Carthel’s five seasons, the Lions have compiled a 49-15 record and have qualified for the postseason in each of those five seasons. A&M-Commerce won three consecutive Lone Star Conference Championships in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The Lions have also had 43 All-American honors, 126 all-Lone Star Conference honors, and eight Lone Star Conference Player of the Year honors in Carthel’s five seasons.

 

GOLF

Lions in ninth after opening round at Rattler Invitational.

SAN ANTONIO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team is in ninth place at the Rattler Invitational after the opening 18 holes of the spring season, sitting precisely in the middle of the highly competitive field.

The Lions shot a 37-over par 325 in the round, only nine strokes out of the tournament’s top five teams in the opening round. Of the 17 teams in the field, 11 are in the top 40 of the Golfstat rankings.

Sophie-Charlott Hempel is the leading Lion after the first round, overcoming a tight first hole to finish at 7-over par 79. She parred the last eight holes of her round and had a birdie on the par-3 17th hole (her ninth hole of the day). She tied for 20th on the individual leaderboard.

One stroke behind Hempel in 25th on the leaderboard at 8-over par 80 are Paige-Lee Garris and Lexi Bubenchik. Bubenchik also had a birdie on the 17th hole, while Garris carded a birdie on the par-4 16th hole.

Lauren Leslie shot a 14-over par 86 to sit in 62nd place, while Makena Thomas shot 18-over par 90 to sit in 79th place.

The spring semester’s opening tournament closes Tuesday with 18 holes of action and a shotgun start.

Rattler Invitational — 1st Round
Dominion CC | San Antonio, Texas
Dates: Feb. 12-13, 2018
Par 72, 5976 yards

Team Standings

Rank	Team	Total	Par
1.	Dallas Baptist	294	+6
2.	St. Mary’s	306	+18
3.	St. Edward’s	310	+22
4.	Southwestern Oklahoma State	315	+27
5.	Missouri-St. Louis	316	+28
6.	West Texas A&M	319	+31
7.	Midwestern State	320	+32
8.	Arkansas-Fort Smith	323	+35
9.	A&M-COMMERCE	325	+37
10.	Cameron	326	+38
	Rogers State	326	+38
12.	Northeastern State	327	+39
13.	Henderson State	329	+41
14.	Angelo State	338	+50
	Western New Mexico	338	+50
16.	Hawai’i-Hilo	363	+75
17.	Texas A&M International	381	+93

A&M-Commerce	325	+37	9th
Sophie-Charlott Hempel	79	+7	t-20th
Lexi Bubenchik	80	+8	t-25th
Paige-Lee Garris	80	+8	t-25th
Lauren Leslie	86	+14	t-62nd
Makena Thomas	90	+18	t-79th