TAMUC – Sports

 

Second half surge pushes Lions to fifth straight win with 83-65 victory over Texas A&M International.

COMMERCE – A second-half surge allowed the Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team to pull away from Texas A&M International University in an 83-65 victory in the Field House on Sunday afternoon.

The Lions won their first game after a 24-day layoff and moved to 10-2 overall on the season, while the TAMIU Dustdevils fall to 3-10 on the season. The win is A&M-Commerce’s fifth straight to close out a 5-0 homestand.

A&M-Commerce is next in action on Thursday, January 3, 2019, with a road contest at MSU Texas. Tipoff in Wichita Falls that evening is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. following the women’s game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– The Lions shot 54.4 percent (31-of-57) from the field with seven three-pointers. A&M-Commerce shot 57.6 percent (19-of-33) in the second half.
– The Dustdevils were limited to a 39.6 percent (21-of-53) shooting clip.
– Tyree Robinson (Fall River, Mass.) entered the game with the third-highest shooting percentage in the nation and improved upon that, scoring 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting with five rebounds. He scored his points in 16 minutes of action after finding himself in foul trouble in the first half.
– He was one of five Lions scoring in double figures. Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga.) scored 12 points, dished out six assists, grabbed five rebounds, and snagged three steals.
– Carson Tuttle (Mukilteo, Wash.) scored 11 points off the bench thanks to three three-pointers.
– Trey Conrod (Kilgore) and Srdan Budimir (Kjardjorjevo, Serbia) each netted 10 points.

COACH JARET VON ROSENBERG AFTER THE GAME
Thoughts on the game: “That is a well-coached, tough, physical team. We couldn’t have asked for better preparation going into Midwestern and Cameron. That is what every night is going to be like. We played some different lineups, and everyone played well. Everyone contributed.”

Thoughts on the play of Tyree Robinson: “He is a strong, physical player. He is a good athlete. Some guys just put the ball in the hole. He is one of those guys. He has a good feel and unbelievable touch.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions rushed out to an early lead, as Robinson and Conrod each scored four points in an 8-4 run to start the game. A&M-Commerce held their guests without a field goal for over five minutes and quickly pushed the lead to 11 points at 15-4 with 14:41 left in the first half. The Lions went scoreless for just over four minutes, allowing the Dustdevils to cut into the lead from the charity stripe, and the advantage shrank to 15-12 with only under 11 minutes left in half.

For the rest of the half, fouls kept the Lions from pulling away, as the margin did not grow to more than two possessions in the period. A&M-Commerce lead by three points at 30-27 on a Budimir jumper with 2:55 to play, but TAMIU then scored the next two buckets. The Dustdevils took their only lead of the game at 31-30 with 2:06 to play. Reid flipped the edge with a three-pointer on the next possession, and the Lions took a 33-31 lead into the dressing room at halftime.

Budimir, Conrod, Reid, and Robinson all had seven points at halftime, with Reid passing out four assists and Conrod dishing out three.

A&M-Commerce jumped on the offensive coming out of the break, scoring the first eight points of the period to stretch the lead back out to double figures at 41-31 with 17:14 to go on a pair of Rodney Brown (Beaumont – West Brook) free throws.

The Dustdevils battled for a time, keeping the game within reach until Tuttle’s accurate shooting pulled the Lions away. A&M-Commerce was up 63-53 with 7:18 to play when the freshman scored eight straight Lion points over the next two minutes around only one TAMIU basket. The surge gave the Lions a 71-55 lead with five minutes to play.

TAMIU was unable to get the margin to any fewer than 12 points in the final stage of the game. Robinson closed out the game with four points including a three-point play, and his assist set up a Conrod three-point play to definitely close out the Lions’ fifth straight win.

Lion Athletics Mission: Committed to a “Best in Class” student-athlete experience

 

 

 

Lions set largest margin-of-victory in program history with a 95-point win over Dallas Christian.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team defeated Dallas Christian College 128-33 on Saturday afternoon. The Lions set program records for most points scored in a game and largest margin of victory as they cruised to their sixth win of the season. The team also set single-game program records for field goals made, assists and steals.

The win brings the Lions to 6-4 on the season while Dallas Christian falls to 4-7 on the year. It is the third win in a row for the Lions, all of which have come by double-digit margins.

The Lions will return to Lone Star Conference action on January 3 as they face MSU Texas on the road. The game will be played at 5:30 p.m. at D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– The Lions scored 128 points in the game, setting a program record. It was the sixth time in program history the team scored 100+ points in a single game.
– The Lions also set a program record for largest margin of victory (95 points)
– The Lions had 24 steals as a team, the most in a single game in program history. Six different Lions had at least three steals in the game.
– The team also set single-game records for most field goals made (53) and most team assists (36).
– It is the third game in a row the Lions have won by more than 20 points.
– Chania Wright (DeSoto) led the team with a season-high 21 points, shooting 9-for-14 in the game. She also had five assists.
– Princess Davis (Shreveport, La.) recorded the first double-double of her career with 11 points and a career-high 10 assists.
– Agang Tac (Garland – Sachse) also had her first career double-double with a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds.
– Mykiel Burleson (Pflugerville), Jocelyn Pierce (Argyle), and Makayla Foy (Edmond, Okla.) each set season-highs with 15 points apiece. Ekaterina Zhibareva (Liske, Russia) had 14 points, and Maddison Glass (Missouri City – Hightower) had a season-high 12 points. In total, eight Lions scored in double figures and every player that played scored at least five points.
– The Lions had 36 assists on their 53 made field goals and shot 17-for-21 from the foul line.

COACH BURTON AFTER THE GAME

– On the win: “I give a lot of credit to our girls for continuing to play the same way throughout. Our mission is to win the conference. There is a certain level we have to play to win the conference. We focused on us today, and our team played very well.”
– On the team’s success in December: “These last three games have been fun. We have been playing this way all month, starting with the Kingsville game. These girls have been focused and locked in. They are playing hungry and are on a mission. It is fun to see them cheer for each other and play for each other. We have to keep getting better, but it was a good day for the Lions.”
– On the road ahead: “We are about to go on the road for some tough battles. Midwestern and Cameron are two really tough places to play. For us to go out and win, we have to play at a high level. We are going to have to hit shots, and we are going to have to guard.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions got off to a hot start right out of the gate, scoring the first 14 points of the contest. Wright had seven early points as the Lions took the lead and never looked back. Eight different Lions got on the scoreboard in the quarter as the Lions shot 50 percent and led 32-7 after a quarter of play.

The Lions continued to build their lead in the second quarter as six different Lion scored in the period. The Lions were led by Burleson, who had seven points in the quarter. Tac added six points and four rebounds. The Lions missed 12 shots in the quarter but had 10 offensive rebounds in the second quarter. At halftime, the Lions held a 60-19 lead.

Wright had 16 points in the first half while Zhibareva and Burleson each had nine. Tac had eight points and seven rebounds in the first half. A&M-Commerce shot 49 percent in the first half, holding the Crusaders to just 35 percent shooting with 20 turnovers.

Seven Lions scored in the third period as A&M-Commerce continued to pile on. Delyssa Miller (Arlington – Homeschool) and Pierce each had seven to pace the Lions. A&M-Commerce assisted on 10 of their 13 baskets as the team held a 91-28 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Lions had their best quarter to finish as they outscored the Crusaders 37-5 in the final quarter, including ending the game on a 21-0 run. Glass had seven points while Tac, Foy, and Pierce each had six points. Davis led the offense with five assists in the quarter. The Lions cruised to the victory, holding the Crusaders to just 1-of-7 shooting in the final quarter.

Josh Manck
Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Committed to a “Best In Class” student-athlete experience.
Office: 903.886.5131 | Mobile: 817.487.5136 |
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3011 | Commerce, TX 75429
Physical Address: 2600 Neal Street | Commerce, TX 75429
Connect with us on our Lions’ Den Social Stream.

Marcus Jensen
Assistant Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Office: 903.468.3027  | Mobile: 801.624.8529
Follow us: @Lion_Athletics | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | LionAthletics.com