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TAMUC – Sports

 

FOOTBALL

A&M-Commerce qualifies for NCAA Division II Playoffs for the third straight season; Lions are No. 5 seed and will travel to Winona State.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Texas A&M University-Commerce football team has qualified for the NCAA Division II Football Championship for the third consecutive season, as announced Sunday evening. The Lions are the fifth seed in Super Region Four and will travel to Winona State (Minn.) University for the regional quarterfinal round is on Saturday, November 18.

The Lions went 9-1 in the regular season and had won their last five games. Winona State went 10-1 this season. For both teams, their only loss came to undefeated teams as A&M-Commerce lost by one score to Midwestern State and Winona State lost 27-6 to Minnesota State.

Kickoff at Winona State’s Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium is 1:00 p.m. Saturday.

A&M-Commerce will release its Playoff Central page later Sunday evening with all information on the game and how Lion fans can support their team.

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Four Lions in double figures as men’s basketball defeats Newman 74-69.

WICHITA, Kan.– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team got a 74-69 win over Newman University on Saturday. The Lions trailed at the end of the first half but rallied to outscore NU by 12 in the second half to win.

The win brings the Lions to 2-0 on the season. The Jets fall to 1-1 on the year.

The Lions will face a short break before returning home for their home opening game. The Lions host Oklahoma City University on Nov. 21. That game will be played at 7 p.m. at the Field House on Sam Walker Night honoring the Lions’ former men’s basketball coach.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Dorian Armstrong led the charge, scoring a career-high 19 points while also pulling down eight rebounds.
– Reggie Reid had 15 points, four assists, and three steals. Willie Rooks added 14 points. Trey Conrod also had 11 points to go along with five rebounds.
– The Lions caught fire from downtown in the second half, shooting 6-for-13 from behind the arc in the second half.
– Newman led by as many as nine in the first half. There were three lead changes in the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams battled back and forth for the first four minutes of the game as Armstrong scored the first seven points for the Lions, including an old-fashioned three-point play. The Jets then started to push ahead slowly, building a seven-point lead with nine minutes to play in half. They went ahead by as many as nine, and A&M-Commerce trailed 35-28 at halftime.

Armstrong had 13 points in the first half and six rebounds. Conrod added seven points in the half.

Rooks started the second half well, scoring two threes and assisting on another as the Lions climbed back into the contest. Reid also played well, getting inside the paint for some layups. Reid hit a three with 13:12 remaining in the game to give the Lions their first lead since the early stages of the first half.

The teams battled back and forth for the next several minutes as the lead exchanged hands twice. The Lions led by as many as four before NU retook the lead and built it to four.

The Lions turned it on in the final four minutes. Reid hit a layup in transition while Armstrong made a layup as well. The Lions made their free throws late to increase their lead, winning the game 74-69.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball loses 55-52 heartbreaker to No. 5 CSU-Pueblo.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team lost 55-52 to No. 5 Colorado State-Pueblo on Saturday night. The Lions held an early 20 point lead but struggled in the second half to make shots and lost a close one.

The loss brings the Lions to 1-1 on the season. The Thunderwolves improve to 1-1 on the year.

The Lions will finish their three-game opening season homestand on Monday night. A&M-Commerce will face Lubbock Christian at 5:30 p.m. The game will be at the Field House.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Artaejah Gay led the team with 15 points, while also grabbing six rebounds.
– Jenna Price had nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Melanie Ransom added 12 rebounds.
– Brianna Wise scored seven points and had seven rebounds.
– Princess Davis had eight points and two assists. Jasmyn Eckerman had five points and five rebounds.
– The Lions led 24-4 after the first quarter but struggled from the field the rest of the game. A&M-Commerce led by as many as 23 early in the second quarter.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions got off to a hot start, scoring the first 14 points of the game. The Lion defense created multiple turnovers and converted them into easy transition layups. Gay had six early points while Price chipped in four in the rally. Gay had eight points and two blocks in the first quarter.

The Lions continued to roll, scoring 20 of their 24 first-quarter points in the paint, 10 of which came on the fast break. The Lions led 24-4 after one quarter.

The Thunderwolves clamped down on their inside defense from the second quarter on, forcing the Lions to shoot from outside the arc. After the Lions pushed their lead to 23 early, CSUP then went on a run, scoring 14 unanswered points. The Thunderwolves took control and took the paint away from the Lions. A&M-Commerce struggled from the field, being outscored 18-5 in the quarter. The Lions led 29-22 at halftime.

After scoring two early buckets in the third quarter, the Lions again went cold, and CSUP took advantage. A three-pointer with 3:32 left gave the Thunderwolves their first lead of the game at 36-35. Gay then hit a three to give A&M-Commerce back the lead. The Lions ended the quarter on a run as Price hit a three-point play and Gay and Davis both had layups. The Lions led 45-38 at the end of the third quarter.

CSUP hit two early threes as the gap was closed quickly in the fourth quarter. The Lions again went cold in the quarter, being held without a bucket for the first eight minutes. Wise hit a three and Ransom had a transition bucket late to cut the CSUP lead down to just one.

The Lions were forced to foul and could not get the Thunderwolves to miss, losing the game by three.

 

VOLLEYBALL

Lions wrap up an undefeated home season with 3-1 win over West Texas A&M.

COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team completed its first undefeated home season since 1987 with a 3-1 victory over West Texas A&M University in the Field House on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions’ 11-0 home mark powered A&M-Commerce to a 20-10 regular season record and the most wins since 2013. A&M-Commerce went 15-5 in conference play and will be the second seed in the Lone Star Conference Championship next weekend and takes on seventh-seeded Western New Mexico in the quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The second-place finish in the LSC is the highest for the Lions since finishing second in the LSC North Division in 2002. In non-divisional formats, the Lions last finished second in the league in 1994.

Set scores for the match were 19-25, 25-19, 26-24, and 26-24. West Texas A&M completed its regular season at 20-12 overall and 12-8 in LSC action.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Jaslyn Wacker led the Lion offensive attack with 17 kills and a .353 hitting percentage. She hit a perfect 1.000 with five kills in the second set. She also had six blocks.
– Layne Little had 15 kills on a .234 hitting percentage on her Senior Day, including seven kills in the third set. She also had eight digs and five blocks.
– Shelley Chapron had a double-double with 12 kills and ten blocks.
– Savannah Rutledge had 22 digs, with Lacie Jessup close behind at 19 digs.
– Both setters had double-doubles as Gabriela Rosa had 29 assists and ten digs, while Rylie Fuentes had 22 assists and 12 digs.
– The Lions threw up 16 blocks in the match.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions scored the first three points of the day to get out to a quick lead, but the Lady Buffs were able to swing that advantage to a 12-9 visitors’ lead. That three-point WT advantage extended from 19-16 to a six-point lead at 22-16 and the Lions were unable to get back within five points in the rest of the set. The Lions were limited to a .043 percentage in the frame.

The Lion hitting picked up in the second set, as the hosts recorded a .282 clip in the frame. Rosa was on serve for a seven-point run early in the game, including three aces for the senior. From a five-point lead at 8-3, the Lions would lead for the remainder of the set. WT got to within three points at 21-18, but the Lions scored four of the final four points, with a block from Chapron and Mariyah Oliver closing out the set.

Out of the break, the third set was a nail-biter throughout, as neither team could scratch out a lead of more than three points. WT scored three straight points after an 18-all tie to go out to a 21-18 lead. The Lions were on the brink of facing set point, down 23-21, but scored three straight points to earn their set point. WT scored out of a timeout, but a Little kill and block by Jaryn Wacker and Chapron closed out the set. The Lions hit 137 in the game and had six blocks to limit WT to a .077 percentage.

The Lions led by four points in the fourth set at 14-10 before WT battled back to tie the game at 17-all and force another tense showdown. The Lions had match point at 24-22 after a kill by Jaryn Wacker, and error, but the Lady Buffs scored two straight points out of a timeout. The Lions responded to the challenge, as Jaslyn Wacker threw down a kill to earn a match point opportunity, and Jaryn Wacker put down the next kill to clinch the undefeated home season. The Lions hit .182 with four blocks in the set.

 

FOOTBALL

Martinez sets school scoring record as No. 8 Lions hold off Tarleton for President’s Cup, 33-21.

STEPHENVILLE – The eighth-ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce football team won the President’s Cup for the fifth consecutive season Saturday with a 33-21 victory over Tarleton State University in the regular season finale. Kristov Martinez became the school’s all-time leading scorer in the second quarter.

The Lions wrap up the regular season with a 9-1 overall record and 7-1 Lone Star Conference mark, while the Texans finish at 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the LSC.

A&M-Commerce is in prime position to qualify for the NCAA Division II Playoffs and will learn their opponent and destination at 4 p.m. Sunday. There will be a watching party starting at 3:45 p.m. Sunday in The Club in the Rayburn Student Center.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Martinez was a perfect 4-of-4 on field goal attempts, as well as making all three PATs. Those 15 points pushed his career total to 289, breaking the previous record of 281 set by Billy Watkins (1990-93). He made field goals of 24, 39, 42, and 35 yards.
– Quarterback Luis Perez completed 34-of-50 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He completed passes to seven different receivers.
– Buck Wilson had seven receptions for 193 yards and a 61-yard touchdown. His game total is the most by a receiver in the tenure of head coach Colby Carthel.
– Marquis Wimberly had five receptions for 113 yards and a 32-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory. Darrion Landry also caught a touchdown pass.
– Carandal Hale was the leading rusher with 78 yards.
– Garrett Blubaugh was the Lions’ leading tackler with seven stops. Neema Behbahani, Norman Moimoi, Devonta Leary, and Josh Reynolds each had sacks. The Lions had 11 tackles for loss.
– Travon Blanchard and Dominique Ramsey each had interceptions in the first quarter. Kieston Carter and Ramsey each forced a fumble.
– The Lions had 546 yards of total offense compared to 272 yards by Tarleton.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions came out on fire, scoring on four of their first five drives. After the defense forced a three-and-out on the opening drive, Perez found Wilson for a 61-yard touchdown pass on the offense’s third play of the game.

Another Texan punt on the second drive gave the Lions the ball near midfield. The drive needed six plays and 2:03 to find the end zone, as Perez connected with Landry for a 6-yard scoring strike.

Ramsey’s interception set up the Lions’ next scoring drive, as Martinez scored a 24-yard field goal with 1:33 on the clock to give the Lions a 17-0 lead. On the next drive, which spanned the second quarter, the Lions drove deep into the Texan territory before a sack bogged down the drive. Martinez’ 39-yard field goal with 11:15 on the second quarter clock put the Lions up 20-0 and gave him the all-time scoring lead.

Another Martinez field goal, this time from 42 yards out, put the Lion lead at 23-0 with 5:58 left in half. That would be the halftime score. The Lions outgained Tarleton 300-53 in the first 30 minutes of action.

Tarleton’s offense responded out of the break with its first scoring play of the game when Adam Berryman broke a 69-yard touchdown run up the middle, cutting the lead to 23-7 with 11:49 on the clock in the third quarter.

That score would roll into a wild fourth quarter. The Lions put points on the board in the opening drive with a 35-yard Martinez field goal to make it 26-7 with 12:07 to play.

The Texans scored on a touchdown pass on a jump ball where both teams made their opinions on possession of the ball known. The officials ruled in favor of the hosts, cutting the Lion lead to 26-14 with 10:08 to go.

After a Lion three-and-out, the A&M-Commerce defense looked to hold Tarleton near midfield, with sacks on consecutive plays by Behbahani and Moimoi. But TSU quarterback Zed Woerner found Berryman on fourth down, and the running back slipped a pair of tackles and ran for a 54-yard touchdown. That play made it a one-score game at 26-21 with 4:41 to play.

The Lions had two first downs and were trying to bleed the clock, but a botched snap had the visitors facing a critical fourth down. A comeback route by Wimberly on the pass ensured a first down, and a massive downfield block by Wilson opened a path to the corner of the end zone, allowing Wimberly to score from 32 yards out and seal the victory.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball opens up the season with a hard-fought 70-67 win over Metro State.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team opened up the 2017-18 season with a 70-67 win over the Metropolitan State University of Denver on Friday afternoon. The game was part of the 1525 Memorial Tournament, sponsored by Domino’s, Holiday Inn Express and Best Western Plus of Greenville.

The win brings the Lions to 1-0 on the season while the Roadrunners fall to 0-1.

Both teams will play again at the Field House on Saturday. Metro State will face Lubbock Christian University at 5:30 pm. A&M-Commerce’s matchup against No. 5 Colorado State-Pueblo at 7:30 pm follow them.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Brianna Wise scored a career-high 24 points, collecting an offensive rebound at the end of the game to seal the win. She also had six rebounds and two assists. Wise scored 13 points from the free-throw line.
– In her return from a season-ending injury, Princess Davis shined with 13 points, nine rebounds, and three steals.
– Artaejah Gay scored 12 points and pulled down four boards. Jasmyn Eckerman had six rebounds while Jenna Price had four boards and seven points.
– The Lions scored 26 points from the free throw line and recorded 13 offensive rebounds and eight steals.
– The Lions struggled from the three-point line, shooting 2-for-11 in the game.
– A&M-Commerce scored 34 points in the paint.
– There were four ties and three lead changes in the game. The Lions led by as many as eight in the fourth but had to fight for the win at the end, scoring four points in the final 17 seconds from the free throw line.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions fell behind quickly in the game as MSU-D scored the first six points of the game. A&M-Commerce missed its first six shots before a steal from Wise allowed a fast break bucket to get the Lions started. It led to a 9-0 run, helped by three layups from Davis, including a three-point play. The teams continued to battle as the Roadrunners took a 15-12 lead after the first quarter.

Davis scored a layup to start the second quarter as the Lions cut into the Roadrunner lead. After a three-pointer put MSU-D up by four, a fast break bucket from Melanie Ransom cut into the lead before a three-pointer from Wise gave the Lions the lead. Wise hit another three to give A&M-Commerce the lead. Davis had another transition layup before the Roadrunners scored the final four points of the second quarter to lead 27-26 at halftime.

Davis had 11 points in the first half while Wise had 10 points, scoring 21 of the 26 Lion points.

The teams continued to battle as the Lions could not push their lead to more than three points in the second half after gaining the advantage. That changed in the late stages of the third quarter as Courtney Fields scored a layup to give the Lions their largest lead of the game, a 47-41 advantage with 1:45 to play in the third. The Lions led 49-45 after the third quarter.

The Lions brought their lead back to six points early in the fourth on a free throw from Gay and then surpassed it to lead by eight points after two free throws from Alex Nance. The Roadrunners then went on a run, cutting the Lion lead to just two points at the halfway mark of the fourth. Price made two free throws to bring the lead back to six before MSU-D again came back, this time tying the score with three minutes left.

Artaejah Gay scored seven points in the fourth quarter, scoring a layup off of an offensive rebound the give the Lions a three-point lead. With 17 seconds left, the Roadrunners got a steal and an easy layup to bring the Lion lead to just one point. MSU-D then fouled the Lions to force free throws. While the Lions missed both, Wise was the hero, out-jumping her defender and snagging the rebound. She made both of her free throws to bring the lead back up to three. After a Metro State miss, Wise again was fouled and sank both free throws to put the game out of reach. A late bucket by Metro State brought the final score to 70-67.

 

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball knocks off UTPB in four sets to clinch second place in LSC standings.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team got a 3-1 win over UT Permian Basin on Friday night. The teams split the first two sets before the Lions came out on fire in the third match and held on in the fourth game to get the win. The set scores were 25-19, 22-25, 25-9 and 25-22.

The win brings the Lions to 19-10 on the season and 14-5 in the Lone Star Conference. The Lions clinched second place in the conference standings with the win and surpassed their conference win total from last season. UTPB falls to 4-24 and 1-18 in the LSC.

The Lions finish the regular season with a home matchup against West Texas A&M on Saturday. The match will begin at 2 p.m. at the Field House. The game will also be part of Lion Champions Fund Senior Spike Day, with admission free of charge for all fans. Honors for the senior class are before the match.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Shelley Chapron had 15 kills, hitting .542 in the match.
– Layne Little also had an active hitting day, notching 15 kills with a .500 hitting percentage.
– Jaslyn Wacker had nine kills, eight blocks, and six digs. She had two extended outings as a server, serving ten consecutive points in the third set and seven in the fourth.
– Rylie Fuentes led the team with 23 assists and added ten digs. Gabriela Rosa had 19 assists, eight digs and had a kill.
– Lacie Jessup led the team with 13 digs while Savannah Rutledge had nine.
– Mariyah Oliver and Sydney Reyes both had seven kills. Jaryn Wacker had five while Neka Nelson had two.
– The Lions hit .302 in the match and had ten blocks as a team. The Lions defense held UTPB to a .170 hitting percentage.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions scored four points in a row early, including consecutive serving aces from Jessup to begin the match. UTPB answered back with six points in a row to take the lead. The teams tied at nine early. Little had consecutive kills as A&M-Commerce built its lead to 16-12 in the set. The Falcons made four of the next six points before the Lions closed out the match with a four-point rally to take the first set 25-19.

UTPB scored four of the first five points of the second set to take an early lead. The Lions cut into the lead and had a four-point rally to make a 12-10 lead midway through the match. UTPB committed multiple errors during the rally. Trailing by two, the Falcons then had a four-point rally of their own to take a 17-15 lead. The Lions answered back with four points in a row of their own. The Falcons ended the set well, scoring five in a row to claim the lead. The Lions could not bounce back and lost the second set 25-22.

After an intermission period, the Lions came out on fire in the third set. They scored eight of the first nine points of the match, including multiple kills from Jaryn Wacker. The Lions held a 12-6 lead midway through the set. The Lions then went on another rally, scoring ten points in a row. Chapron had three kills in the rally while Little had two and the Lions held a commanding 22-6 lead. Rosa had a kill to end the third set with the score of 25-9.

The Falcons went on a big run to start the fourth set. After the team split the first two points, UTPB then scored seven points in a row to lead 8-1 early. The Lions cut into the lead, scoring three in a row. Trailing by six, the Lions went on another rally, scoring seven in a row to take their first lead of the set at 14-13. Little had three kills in the come from behind, and Reyes had two.

The teams then battled back and forth, with the Lions holding their slim advantage. The Falcons would not lead again in the set, however. Little had back-to-back kills late as the Lions scored four of the final five points of the game to win the set 25-22 and take the match in four.

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL
Men’s basketball wins 70-61 in overtime over Oklahoma Christian to open von Rosenberg era.

WICHITA, Kan.– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team won a 70-61 contest in overtime against Oklahoma Christian on Friday. It was an evenly matched affair until the Lions outscored OCU 14-5 in the overtime period. The game was part of a tournament hosted by Newman University.

The win brings the Lions to 1-0 on the season, giving head coach Jaret von Rosenberg his first career head coaching win. The Eagles fall to 0-1 on the season.

The Lions continue their opening schedule facing the host school, Newman, in a contest on Saturday at 4:00 pm. The game will be at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita, Kan.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Willie Rooks led the Lions with 15 points. He scored nine of his points from the free throw line.
– Dorian Armstrong recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
– Daquane Willford had 13 points and five rebounds. Trey Conrod also had 13 points.
– Reggie Reid had 12 points as the Lions had five players in double figures.
– A&M-Commerce shot 37 percent from the field but shot well from the charity stripe, making 21-of-26 free throws.
– The Lions outscored the Falcons 14-5 in the overtime period.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions started off the game well, jumping out to a quick 12-4 lead with 12:45 still to play in the first half. Willford had two layups in the rally. The Lions led 16-7 midway through the half.

OCU then rallied, cutting the Lion lead down to just two points on a quick 5-0 run. Rooks scored two from the foul line and had a layup as the Lions again built their lead to eight points with five minutes to play in half. OCU answered back with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to just one late in half. A&M-Commerce held a 29-27 lead at halftime.

Rooks had eight points in the first half while Willford and Armstrong both had six points. The Lions shot 33 percent from the field in half but had eight offensive rebounds to help their cause.

OCU took the lead early in the second half as the teams battled back and forth. OCU had a six-point run to take the lead before a fast-break three from Reid brought the OCU lead down to just one. Rooks and Reid continued to get to the free throw line as the Lions regained the lead at the halfway point of the half.

The lead changed hands multiple times in the final five minutes of the game as neither team wanted to go quietly. After a two-minute scoring drought by both sides, the Lions scored a layup to go up three points. The Eagles then scored six in a row to take a three-point lead of their own.

Trailing by two points late, the Lions needed a score to tie the game. Armstrong found Conrod for a layup with 22 seconds left to tie the game. A last-second shot from OCU was off the mark, and the game went into overtime.

The Lions had two quick layups to start the overtime period on a 4-0 run. After a three from OCU, the Lions then took control of the game, scoring eight unanswered points. Conrod had a dunk and a layup on a fast break to seal the win as the Lions won 70-61.

FOOTBALL

No. 8 Lions close out the regular season with President’s Cup game at Tarleton.

YouTube Interview with HC Colby Carthel

COMMERCE – The No. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions’ football team closes out the 2017 regular season with a crucial game in the regional playoff picture, taking on the Tarleton State University Texans at 2:00 p.m. Saturday in Stephenville.

WHO: Texas A&M University-Commerce at Tarleton State University
WHERE: Stephenville | Memorial Stadium
WHEN: 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 11
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the Lone Star Conference schedule. Tarleton State is 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the LSC.
RANKINGS: Texas A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 8 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll and the D2Football.com Media Poll. Tarleton State is unranked.

LIVE AUDIO: Lion Sports Network — KETR 88.9 FM, Commerce (http://www.ketr.org)
LIVE VIDEO: Tarleton Sports Network
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
TICKETS: HERE

LIONS LOOK FOR 5TH STRAIGHT PRESIDENT’S CUP
• A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State battle every year for the President’s Cup and the Lions will look to hold onto the traveling trophy for the fifth straight year.
• The Lions are 14-11 all-time in the trophy game, with a 7-5 record away from Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium.
• The Lions have won the last five matchups (four President’s Cups and an LSC Playoff game) against the Texans, taking a vital 30-10 win in 2016 on the way to LSC Championship honors.
•The Lions’ last visit to Stephenville resulted in a 63-0 victory to close out the 2015 season.
• The Lions won the first eight matchups, followed by the Texans winning 11 of 12 before A&M-Commerce’s recent five-game winning streak.

STILL PUSHING #ToTheTop
• The Lions moved up one spot to No. 8 in the nation in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
• A&M-Commerce has been ranked in 37 straight AFCA polls, dating back to the 2015 preseason poll.
• It is A&M-Commerce’s 43rd all-time appearance in the AFCA poll since its inception in 2000.

LIONS TAKE OVER LSC LEAD IN ALL-TIME WINS
• The Lion victory over UT Permian Basin was their 303rd Lone Star Conference victory in football action.
• With A&M-Kingsville’s loss at Western N.M. last week, A&M-Commerce took over the all-time lead in LSC wins at 302.
• A&M-Kingsville sits on 301 wins in LSC play.

LIONS POISED FOR PLAYOFFS
• The Lions are ranked seventh in Super Region Four entering the final week of play in 2017.
• It is the last regular season publication this season of the Super Region rankings, which are officially used by the NCAA Division II Football Committee to select the playoff field on Sunday, November 13. The top seven teams from each of Division II’s four Super Regions will qualify for the playoffs.
• The first seed will receive a bye in the second round, while the second, third and fourth seeds would host first-round games.

Rk School In-Reg D-II
1 Minnesota State 10-0 10-0
2 Central Washington 9-0 10-0
3 Midwestern State 7-0 8-0
4 Winona State 9-1 9-1
5 Sioux Falls 9-1 9-1
6 Colorado Mesa 9-1 9-1
7 A&M-COMMERCE 6-1 8-1
8 Minnesota-Duluth 8-2 8-2
9 Eastern New Mexico 6-1 8-1
10 Humboldt State 8-1 8-1

CARTHEL 5TH IN SCHOOL HISTORY IN WINS
• Head coach Colby Carthel now ranks fifth in A&M-Commerce history in coaching wins with 42 wins.
• However, he will be in fifth for a while, as his 42 wins are just over half of J.V. Sikes’ 63 wins in fourth place.

1 Ernest Hawkins 1964-85 132-92-6
2 Eddie Vowell 1986-98 74-71-1
3 Bob Berry 1935-41, 46-50 72-34-8
4 J.V. Sikes 1954-63 63-34-4
5 Colby Carthel 2013-pres. 42-15
6 M.A. Smith 1951-53 30-2-1

SENIOR DAY SPECIAL
• All eligible offensive seniors for the Lions entered the game and participated in a touchdown in the 52-0 win over UT Permian Basin on Senior Day.
• This included QB Jacob Norton completing the only pass of his career at this point for a 2-yard touchdown to fellow senior WR D’Arthur Cowan. This gives Norton a career quarterback efficiency rating of 448.60.
• Austin Jordan caught a 1-yard touchdown pass for his first career score.
• Gabriel Rodriguez (rushing), Luis Perez (4 passing), Buck Wilson (receiving), and Richard Whitaker (rushing) also found paydirt in their final regular season home game as Lions.

SENIORS LOOK TO BREAK SCHOOL RECORD
• With one more win, the senior class will break the school record for wins in a four-year period with the Tangerine Bowl runs of the early 1950s.

Years Record
1951-54 36-5-2
2014-17 36-10
2013-16 35-14
1957-60 34-7
1972-75 32-13-1
1936-39 31-8
1990-93 31-16-1

THREE-HEADED MONSTER
• As you will read below, Luis Perez is very good at throwing the football to his teammates, who in turn, are quite adept at finding the end zone.
• Three Lion receivers are tied for second in the Lone Star Conference in terms of receiving touchdowns.
• D’Arthur Cowan, Darrion Landry, and Buck Wilson each have eight receiving touchdowns this season. All eight of Cowan’s touchdown receptions have come in LSC play.

PEREZ SETS SCHOOL RECORD, LEADS THE NATION
• After 387 passing yards in Canyon against WT, Luis Perez’ passing average has vaulted him to the top of the Division II ranks. He is one of 10 passers in Division II averaging over 300 yards passing per game.

Rk Team A-C-I TD Yds Avg
1 Luis Perez, A&M-Commerce 335-243-6 33 2,947 327.4
2 Connor Jessop, Shepherd 312-206-6 34 2,914 323.8
3 Brook Bolles, Central Mo. 362-205-12 19 3,223 322.3
4 Tanner Garry, Slippery Rock 382-234-7 30 3,215 321.5
5 Amir Hall, Bowie St. 321-215-4 39 3,187 318.7
6 Grant Russell, Ohio Dominican 280-205-2 24 2,843 315.9
7 Y. Gavalas, LIU Post 325-233-8 34 2,831 314.6
8 Javia Hall, Western N.M. 430-238-11 22 2,811 312.3
9 Nick Rooney, Adams St. 401-245-9 24 2,789 309.9
10 David Salmon, Mars Hill 294-173-8 23 2,710 301.1
  • His last touchdown pass in the UTPB game broke his own school record for touchdown passes in a season.
    • The Lions have had their quarterback pass for 30 or more scores in each of the last four seasons. Prior to that, the record of 22 scoring passes in a season had stood for 52 years.
SINGLE SEASON PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS
1. 33 Luis Perez 2017
2. 32 Luis Perez 2016
3. 31 Tyrik Rollison 2014
4. 30 Harrison Stewart 2015
5. 22 James Gray 1952
  • Perez is also the Lion career leader in three major passing categories.
CAREER PASSING YARDAGE LEADERS
1. 6,273 Luis Perez 2016-pres.
2. 5,955 Bob Bounds 1987-91
3. 5,800 Kyle Mackey 1980-83
4. 5,635 Terry Skinner 1973-77
5. 5,362 Tyrik Rollison 2013-14

 

CAREER PASSING COMPLETION LEADERS
1. 487 Luis Perez (487-724-11) 2016-pres.
2. 375 Bob Bounds (375-706-36) 1987-91
3. 372 Kyle Mackey (372-751-44) 1980-83
4. 367 Terry Skinner (367-813-45) 1973-77
5. 353 Adam Farkes (353-700-30) 2009-10

 

CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS
1. 65 Luis Perez 2016-pres.
2. 51 James Gray 1951-53
3. 48 Harrison Stewart 2013-15
4. 43 Jim Dietz 1967-70
43 Tyrik Rollison 2013-14
  • He ranks third in Division II and 11th in all of the NCAA in career passing efficiency.KICKIN’ IT WITH KRISTOV
    • Kicker Kristov Martinez ranks 12th among career leaders in Division II in scoring with his 274 career points. This ranks second in school history, only 7 points from the lead.
    • The A&M-Commerce all-time leader in scoring is Billy Watkins, who scored 281 points from 1990-93 on 134 PATs and 49 field goals.
    • Martinez is currently the leader in scoring amongst kickers in the Lone Star Con at 8.1 points per game. ENMU’s Bailey Hale and Angelo State’s Connor Flanigan are the closest competitors in the LSC with 7.2 ppg.
    • Martinez moved up to third on the career field goal list with a pair of 30-yarders at UNA.
CAREER SCORING LEADERS
1. 281 Billy Watkins (134 PAT, 49 FG) 1990-93
2. 274 Kristov Martinez (150 PAT, 38 FG) 2015-pres.
3. 224 David Dell (104 PAT, 40 FG) 1995-98
4. 222 Aundra Thompson (37 TD) 1972-75
5. 219 Saul Martinez (126 PAT, 31 FG) 2013-14

 

CAREER PATs MADE LEADERS
1. 157 Kristov Martinez (157-164) 2015-pres.
2. 134 Billy Watkins (134-143) 1990-93
3. 126 Saul Martinez (126-130) 2013-14
4. 121 Leonard Allen (121-134) 1973-76
5. 105 Kevin Garman (105-113) 1981-84

 

CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE LEADERS
1. 49 Billy Watkins (49-84) 1990-93
2. 40 David Dell (40-61) 1995-98
3. 39 Kristov Martinez (39-55) 2015-pres.
4. 31 Saul Martinez (31-38) 2013-14
5. 29 Ha’a Bento (29-44) 2004-05
29 Leonard Allen (29-52) 1973-76

FIREWORKS AFTER A SCORE
• The Lions have excelled on kickoffs, both when kicking the ball away, and when receiving the kickoff.
• The Lions rank 1st nationally in kickoff return defense, allowing 12.25 yards per return.
• A&M-Commerce is 2nd in the nation in kickoff return average at 28.63 yards per return.
• Opponents have averaged starting at the 26.9-yard line on kickoffs, while the Lions average starting on the 38.1-yard line after kickoffs.
• Martinez has had touchbacks on 32 of 62 kickoffs.

WILSON TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE
• Buck Wilson returned a first-quarter kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown against West Texas A&M, earning LSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
• He is the fourth Lion on record with a 100-yard touchdown. He is the 25th player in LSC history with a 100-yard kickoff return. He is the seventh player in Division II this season with a 100-yard kickoff return.

Bob Sloan vs. Midwestern State, 1950
Marvin Brown vs. Midwestern State, 1951
Gary Berry vs. Sam Houston State, 1958
Buck Wilson at West Texas A&M, 2017
  • Wilson averages 35.7 yards per kickoff return on nine returns. The NCAA requires returners to have 1.2 returns per game to qualify for the statistical rankings. Wilson averages 1.0 returns per game.
    • If he met the return quantity qualification, Wilson would rank third in the nation in kick return yardage.ON THE SCOREBOARD
    • The Lions rank in the top 15 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
    • At 41.2 points scored per game, the Lions are 2nd in the LSC and 13th in the nation.
    • At 14.2 points allowed per game, the Lions rank 1st in the LSC and 11th in the nation.HOOKS ATOP PUNT RETURN LEADERBOARD
    • Preseason All-American return man Shawn Hooks ranks first in the Lone Star Conference with an average of 13.1 yards per punt return this year.
    • The only LSC player who has returned a punt for a touchdown this year was Jay Bias’ five-yard punt block return for a score in the fourth quarter against Western N.M.MULTI-FACETED ALL-AMERICAN ALONG WITH ACTUAL PUNTING INFO
    • All-American tackle Jared Machorro has been fantastic on the left side of the offensive line, which could have been expected.
    • Likely unexpected? He ranks 11th in the LSC in average punt yardage at 35.5 yards per punt.
    • That’s just awesome.
    • Actual punter Tristan Perry ranks fifth in the conference with a 40.1-yard punting average.SCOUT TEAM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
    • The Lions will announce scout team players of the week each Tuesday for the 2017 season. Winners so far this year are:
at North Alabama OL Richard West, LB Bryse Burris
WILLIAM JEWELL QB Mason Ray, DL Nick Petitti
EASTERN NEW MEXICO WR Deonta Adams, DL Lamonte Williams
at Texas A&M-Kingsville DL Kolt Fullen
at Midwestern State OL Nic Smith, DL Ty Reed
WESTERN NEW MEXICO RB Antonio Lealiiee, LB Kendric Ford
ANGELO STATE QB Gunnar Palacios, DL Nick Petitti
at West Texas A&M WR Arnezz Archie, LB Bryse Burris
Show Team Super Bowl MVPs RB Antonio Lealiiee, DL Nick Petitti