TAMUC Basketball

 

Men’s basketball heats up and routs Western New Mexico 112-79

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team came up with 112-79 over Western New Mexico on Thursday.

The win brings the Lions to 16-5 on the season and 8-4 in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs fall to 2-18 and 0-12 in conference play.

The Lions will host Eastern New Mexico on Saturday as part of Alumni Day. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. at the Field House.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Lions had seven players in double figures, the most in a single game this season.
– Montrell Little led the Lions with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field.
– Isaac Asrat had 16 points, going 4-of-6 from behind the arc.
– Trey Seymore had 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. He scored nine points from the free throw line.
– Trey Washington had 15 points and a game-high eight assists. Daquane Willford added seven assists to go along with 10 points.
– Simon Shafack had 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
– Marquieth Russell had 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds. He shot 6-of-7 from the field.
– The Lions scored 58 points in the paint and had 68 bench points. A&M-Commerce caused 21 WNMU turnovers and converted them into 31 points. The Lions shot 59 percent from the field in the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mustangs started the game on a 10-0 run as the Lions had four turnovers in the first two minutes of the match. The Lions tightened up and soon got themselves right back into the game.

A&M-Commerce proceeded to go on a 20-4 run over the next six minutes to take the lead for good. The Lions spread out the scoring with six different Lions getting on the board early in the game.

Seymore got to the free throw line early and often for the Lions. He scored his first seven points from the free throw line before getting two buckets late in half.

Little heated up to end the first half. Little converted on three consecutive baskets late, including a three-point play. The Lions pushed their lead to 21 points late in half and went into the locker room with a 57-39 halftime lead.

Little was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field in the first half and led the Lions with 15 points. Seymore added 10 points and four rebounds. Russell was 4-of-4 from the field with nine points in the first half. The Lions had 32 points in the paint and 27 points off of turnovers in the first half.

The lead hovered around 20 for the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Mustangs cut the lead to 16 points with four minutes gone in the half, but the Lions responded with a 7-0 run to bring the lead back up to 23.

The Lions finished the game on a tear. Beginning at the eight-minute mark, the Lions went on a 10-0 run to go ahead by 31 points. The Lions spread the ball around with multiple players getting easy looks at the basket. The Lions had 15 assists in the second half.

Asrat had a late run, hitting two threes and the Lions took a 38-point lead, their largest of the game.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball gets big 92-65 win over Western New Mexico
COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team got a 92-65 win over Western New Mexico on Thursday. The Lions found their groove in the second quarter and never looked back.

The win brings the Lions to 15-6 on the season and 9-4 in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs fall to 4-16 and 0-13 in conference play.

The Lions will host conference-leading Eastern New Mexico on Saturday as part of Alumni Day. The game will begin at 2 p.m. at the Field House.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Artaejah Gay led the Lions with 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting, 18 of which came in the first half. She also pulled down six rebounds. That output put her over 800 points in her A&M-Commerce career and moved her into 17th place on the all-time scoring list.
– Brittany Adams set a career high with 12 points, going 5-of-6 from the field. 11 of her points came in the fourth quarter.
– Jenna Price had 12 points and had eight rebounds. Krystal Pickron added 10 points. Brianna Wise led the Lions with five assists.
– The Lions had 21 assists on 34 made baskets. They also had 54 points in the paint.
– The Lions shot 50 percent from the field in the game. A&M-Commerce committed just seven turnovers.
– Jordan Gutierrez had 17 points to lead WNMU. Jade Botelho added 16 points for the Mustangs.
– With the win, the Lions have nine conference wins, matching their total from last season. The Lions have seven conference games remaining on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mustangs were the first team on the board and held the lead for nearly three minutes before the Lions took their first lead of the game with seven minutes to play in the first quarter. The Mustangs regained the lead and hit back-to-back threes to take their largest lead of the match. With four minutes to play, the Mustangs led 13-7.

The Lions responded with a 7-0 run to regain the lead. Pickron had a three-point play and a jumper as part of the field. The Mustangs regained the lead for a brief moment before the Lions took the lead for good on a jumper from Gay right before the end of the quarter. The Lions led 18-15 at the end of the first.

The Lions took command of the game in the second quarter. Beginning in the final minute of the first quarter, the Lions went on a 15-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 14-point lead. Gay had two baskets, and Price hit five free throws as part of the series.

The Mustangs began to fight back, going on a 6-0 run themselves to cut the lead back down to single digits. But the Lions wouldn’t let the momentum completely swing WNMU’s way. At the three minute mark, the Lions led by 13.

The last three minutes of the half was all Lions. Gay had a three-point play, and Natalie Hessong had five points as part of an 8-0 run that brought the Lion lead to 21. A late basket by the Mustangs sent A&M-Commerce into the half with a 49-30 lead.

Gay led all scorers with 18 points in the first half on 8-of-13 shooting. Pickron and Price both had seven points. Price also pulled down five rebounds in the first half. The Lions shot 35 percent from the field in the first quarter but shot 65 percent in the second quarter. Wise and Jordan Williams each had three assists in the first half.

The Lions built on their lead to go up by 25 early in the third quarter. Price hit a three-pointer and a layup to increase the Lion lead. The Mustangs went on a 6-0 run to get the lead back under 20, but the spark extinguished. The Lions finished the quarter on a 7-2 run to lead by 25 going into the final period.

Adams came on strong in the fourth quarter. She had 11 points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, including a three-point play that brought the Lion lead to 30 points. The Lion reserves finished the game off, and A&M-Commerce came away with the win.

Josh Manck
Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce