TAMUC – Sports

 

 

Lions push win streak to six with 89-80 victory over Tarleton.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team defeated Tarleton State 89-80 on Tuesday night. The Lions took the lead in the second quarter and led by as many as 23 in the game.

The win is the sixth in a row for the Lions. They now have a record of 9-4 and a 4-1 record in the Lone Star Conference. The TexAnns falls to 9-4 on the season and 2-3 in conference play.

The Lions return to action on Saturday with a home game against Texas Women. The game will be played at 2:00 p.m. at the Field House. Tickets are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756 or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Chania Wright (DeSoto) led the team with 21 points, including five triples. She scored 17 points in the second half in just 11 minutes of action.
– Princess Davis (Shreveport, La.) added 18 points, 14 of which came in the first half. She also dished out four assists.
– Alexus Jones (Lewisville – Aledo) had 16 points and four assists, making all six of her free throws. Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville) nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
– Agang Tac (Garland – Sachse) led the team with 12 rebounds while Ekaterina Zhibareva (Liske, Russia) had a team-high five assists.
– The Lions shot 45 percent in the game, including 54 percent in the second half. The Lions shot 46 percent from behind the arc.
– A&M-Commerce had 30 second-chance points with 24 offensive rebounds in the game. The Lions finished the game with a +23 rebounding margin.

HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME

– On Tarleton narrowing the deficit late: “Tarleton stepped up and made a run at the end and made some big-time shots. In a game like that, you’re just happy to walk away with a win. I thought our girls played a tremendous game. That’s a real team right there. We got a lead and held the lead for almost the whole game, but you know a team like that is going to make a run. They’re too talented not to. We were able to withstand that run because of the cushion we built for ourselves early. Out of halftime, we challenged them to come out of halftime to come out on fire, and they did that.”

– On the rebounding advantage: “We had played the same four opponents in conference play, and we talked Monday about how we’re leading the league in seven stats. Three key stats were total rebounds, defensive rebounds, and offensive rebounds. What kept us in the game and what allowed us to win the game was how much we dominated the boards, and that’s been a strength of ours all year – we continue to get to the paint. Having that identity of who we are – we rebound the ball at a high level – and when we can do that, we put ourselves in a position to win every game.”

– On the high number of turnovers and steals in the game: “Down the stretch, we got a little careless, and they took full advantage of that. A lot of our turnovers came early and came late, but for the bulk of the game, we did an excellent job taking care of the ball. When our guards pressure up, it’s tough. We send waves, it’s not just the starting lineup, it’s all of our guards, and they do a great job pressuring.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions opened the game with a three and quickly got off to a 7-3 advantage, with Tac recording two early offensive rebounds to keep the Lions in possession. The Lions held a four-point lead before a run by the TexAnns tied the score at 11 midway through. The Lions had a string of turnovers that allowed TSU its first lead of the game. TSU went on a 6-0 run to take a 19-13 lead into the second quarter.

The Lions came out of the quarter break on a tear, scoring the first eight points of the second quarter to regain the lead. Midway through the quarter, the Lions held a 25-23 lead. The Lions caught fire toward the end of the quarter. Trailing by three, the Lions scored 10 in a row to take their largest lead of the half. Davis hit consecutive threes as part of the run. The Lions went into halftime leading 42-35.

Davis led all Lions with 14 points in the first half. Jones had seven points, and Bryant had six points in the paint and led the team with seven rebounds, including five offensive boards. The Lions had a +21 rebounding margin at the half, pulling in 18 offensive boards. The Lions had 21 second-chance points while holding the TexAnns without a single second-chance point.

The Lions pushed their lead to double figures early in the third quarter with a big run. After TSU scored the first basket of the half, the Lions poured in 12-unanswered. Jones hit a three and Wright also had a triple on a fast break. With five minutes left, the Lions led by 17 points. TSU went on a run of their own to cut the Lion lead to 10 points before the Lions pushed back. Wright hit a three at the buzzer, and the Lions went into the fourth quarter with a 67-52 lead.

The Lions pushed their lead to 20 points early in the fourth quarter. Wright hit a pair of threes to give the Lions a 23-point lead, their largest of the game. Midway through the quarter, the Lions led by 20. The TexAnns attempted a comeback, cutting the Lion lead down to nine points. But the Lions held steady to finish and left with the win.

 

 

Dr. Samantha Roberts wins Dr. Dave Pariser Faculty Mentor Award from NCAA – NCAA.

INDIANAPOLIS – The national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has selected Samantha Roberts of Texas A&M-Commerce as the 2018 Dr. Dave Pariser Faculty Mentor Award winner.

The award, named after a Bellarmine physical therapy professor who died in 2013, recognizes faculty members at Division II institutions for their dedication to supporting and mentoring student-athletes, as well as their commitment to Division II student-athletes’ lifelong learning, competition, and well-being. Roberts will receive the award Jan. 25 at the Division II Faculty Mentor Award Presentation and Reception during the 2019 NCAA Convention in Orlando, Florida.

“Dr. Roberts is an outstanding individual that goes above and beyond for students and student-athletes,” said Hannah Peevy, internal operations coordinator of Division II SAAC and former rifle student-athlete at North Georgia. “When reflecting on Dr. Roberts’ role on her campus and her involvement, what stood out is how closely her devotion to her students reflected national SAAC’s goals and initiatives. She promoted bystander intervention, mental health awareness and partnered with the athletic department’s Responsible Lions performance team.

“Whether it be fostering a new master’s program or applying for an NCAA CHOICES Grant, she selflessly gives her time to move others forward.”

Roberts hails from England, where she previously was a senior lecturer and earned her doctoral degree from Coventry University in 2014. Since moving to the United States in 2016, Roberts has been a standout faculty member in the Texas A&M-Commerce community. Roberts, an assistant professor, specializes in teaching sports marketing and international sports management at the graduate level. On campus, she serves a vital role on the athletics department’s performance team, a group responsible for policies, procedures, and education pertinent to the well-being of student-athletes.

Roberts also was selected to assist as an advisor for Responsible Lions, a student-led group that educates student-athletes on issues such as alcohol and drug abuse, nutrition and eating disorders, mental health, and sexual assault and harassment.

“I think one of our ultimate aims is to make not just the student-athletes, but A&M-Commerce as a whole, more aware about the challenges each one of us faces,” Roberts said.

In addition to Responsible Lions, Roberts has been able to facilitate Texas A&M-Commerce’s bystander intervention program as well as help create the athletics department’s emergency action plan that offers guidance on what to do in a crisis. She wants all students and student-athletes to know that “If you need to talk, someone will be available to talk, and to not be ashamed of that.”

In Roberts’ short time at Texas A&M-Commerce, student-athletes have helped her and her family assimilate into the American college sports culture. “What I love about student-athletes, especially those that I have in class, is you get to build that special relationship with them,” Roberts said. “And then they appreciate you so much for coming out to their games.”

Roberts makes it a priority to be there for her students and student-athletes, whether that is through interactions in the classroom, one-on-one mentorship or bringing her family to watch the student-athletes compete.

“They know that I have their back, and that is probably why I have been able to have the impact that I’ve had so far,” she said. “If they are willing to show me that they are going to work and want it, then I will bend over backward to help every single one of them.”

Article courtesy of NCAA

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Lions break into national rankings at No. 24.
A&M-Commerce hosts battle of nationally ranked teams with No. 23 Tarleton on Thursday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team is ranked No. 24 in this week’s National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Division II Top 25 poll, entering the rankings for the first time this season, as announced by the NABC Tuesday.

The Lions have an overall record of 12-2 with a 4-0 Lone Star Conference record and have won seven consecutive contests, dating back to Thanksgiving weekend. This is A&M-Commerce’s first appearance in the rankings since January 30, 2018. Since joining Division II, this is the Lions’ 37th week in the national top 25.

A&M-Commerce is one of four teams to move from unranked into the top 25 this week, including this week’s only opponent – the Tarleton Texans – who are ranked No. 23, one spot above the Lions. Also ranked from the Lone Star Conference is West Texas A&M at No. 8 nationally. The trio of teams all sits on two losses entering play this week.

The A&M-Commerce vs. Tarleton matchup is set for 6:00 p.m. Thursday in the Field House.

NABC/Division II Rankings (Jan. 8, 2019 – Regular Season Poll #6)
		Record	Points	Last
1.	Bellarmine, Ky. (16)	12-0	400	1
2.	Northwest Missouri State	14-0	384	2
3.	Indiana (Pa.)	13-0	367	3
4.	Nova Southeastern	12-0	352	5
5.	USC Aiken	12-0	336	6
6.	Ashland	13-0	321	10
7.	Morehouse	11-1	290	11
8.	West Texas A&M	15-2	264	13
9.	Saint Anselm	11-1	242	4
10.	Bentley	13-1	241	15
11.	St. Edward’s	13-1	212	22
12.	West Liberty	9-2	205	16
13.	Queens (N.C.)	13-2	204	17
14.	Valdosta State	12-2	187	9
15.	Southern Nazarene	12-2	170	19
16.	Point Loma	12-2	155	24
17.	Findlay	12-2	140	23
18.	UC San Diego	13-3	123	14
19.	St. Thomas Aquinas	11-2	92	18
20.	Chaminade	11-2	73	12
21.	Lynn	11-1	69	NR
22.	Florida Southern	10-3	56	7
23.	Tarleton	12-2	48	NR
24.	A&M-COMMERCE	12-2	37	NR
25.	UNC Pembroke	9-1	36	NR
Others receiving votes: Saint Martin’s 33, Daemen 19, Shippensburg 19, Washburn 17, Lewis 15, Missouri Southern 12, Catawba 10, Chowan 10, Colorado School of Mines 8, Minnesota State 8, Cal State East Bay 6, Concord (W.Va.) 6, Fairmont State 6, Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Belmont Abbey 5, Davenport 4, Northern State 4, Northwest Nazarene 4, Lincoln (Mo.) 2, Lincoln Memorial 2. Dropped out: Cal Poly Pomona (8), Missouri Southern (20), Saint Martin’s (21), Shippensburg (25). Records are through games of Sunday, Jan. 6.

 

 

Second half scoring flurry lifts Lions to 97-80 win over Cameron.

LAWTON, Okla.– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team defeated Cameron 97-80 on Saturday afternoon. The Lions held a one-point lead at the half but went off in the second half to get the win.

The win brings the Lions to 12-2 on the season and 4-0 in the Lone Star Conference. It is also the seventh win in a row for the Lions. Cameron falls to 4-10 and 0-4 in conference play.

The Lions return to action on Thursday with a home game against Tarleton State. The game will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Field House.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Six Lions finished in double figures as the Lions had a balanced attack. All nine Lions who played scored in the game.
– Srdan Budimir (Karadjordjevo, Serbia) co-led the team with 15 points, including a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the arc.
– Tyree Robinson (Fall River, Mass.) also scored 15 points, making all six of his shots. He now has a shooting percentage of 74.5 percent for the season.
– Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga.) and Willie Rooks (Houston – North Forest) each had 14 points.
– Trey Conrod (Kilgore) had 13 points while Deonta Terrell (Chicago, Ill.) had 12 points.
– After shooting 41 percent in the first half, the Lions shot 66 percent in the second half.
– The Lions got to the free throw line 34 times, converting 26 times.

HEAD COACH JARET VON ROSENBERG AFTER THE GAME

– On halftime adjustments: “It’s two games in a row where the ball didn’t move great offensively early, but we still finished up with six guys scoring in double figures. Everyone made contributions. We try to talk to all of these guys about being ready for your opportunity. It can be tough, and Vernon Lowndes had his best game of the year, and he was really big there in the second half when we made our run.”

– On the surge in the second half: “We had a heck of a performance in the second half, shooting over 65 percent and finishing with six guys in double figures. We were not doing well on the glass in the first half and really picked that up in the second half. Anytime you can come into a really tough place to play and win, we’ll take it.”

– On defensive effort leading to another win: “When we got the lead, they [Cameron] started putting their heads down and just hoping for a foul. When we didn’t foul, we were able to get stops and make them miss. Holding them to 37 percent in the second half – we always talk about our field goal percentage defense we want to be under 40, and if we do that, we feel like we have a chance to win every game.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

The teams matched each other shot for shot early in the game, with the score tied at seven after three minutes of play. The Aggies then made consecutive baskets to take a four-point lead. The Lions battled back, and with a three from Terrell, they took their first lead of the game at 18-17 with 11 minutes left.

The lead would change hands several more times in the half. After trailing by five, the Lions battled back again. Reid converted a three-point play as the team regained the lead. The Lions and the Aggies played hot-potato with the edge as it changed hands several times down the stretch, with neither team able to pull away. The Lions pushed their lead to four with three minutes to go but went into halftime with a 41-40 lead.

Reid led the Lions with eight points in the half, including all four of his free throws. Terrell had seven and Robinson and Budimir each had six. Rooks had five points and led the defense with four steals. CU shot 45 percent from the field while the Lions shot 41 percent. The Lions got to the foul line 18 times in the half as both teams got into foul trouble early.

The lead changed hands four more times early in the second half before a bucket by Conrod put the Lions up for good. The Lions started a run starting at the 16-minute mark, pushing their lead to 17 points with 10 minutes to play. Terrell converted a three-point play and had a monster slam dunk and Robinson converted an alley-oop dunk.

The Aggies cut into the Lion lead, bringing it down to 13 before the Lions again pulled ahead. The Lions converted free throws down the stretch, and Budimir hit two more threes near the end of the game to put the game well out of reach. The Lions ran out the clock with the 17-point victory.

 

 

Lions tie their program record with the fifth consecutive double-digit win, down Cameron 86-67.

LAWTON, Okla.– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team defeated Cameron University 86-67 on Saturday afternoon. The Lions pulled ahead late in the first quarter and continued to build their lead.

The win is the fifth consecutive for the Lions, bringing them to 8-4 on the season and 3-1 in the Lone Star Conference. All five of the victories in the current streak have been by double-figures, tying a program record for most consecutive double-digit wins. Cameron falls to 4-9 and 1-3 in LSC play.

The Lions return to action on Tuesday with a home game against Tarleton State. The game will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Field House.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville) notched her first double-double of the season with a season-best 16 points and 13 rebounds, averaging a double-double for the road trip.
– The Lions shot 39.1 percent from the field, making 25-of-64 shots. They dominated at the free throw line, making 32-of-40 (80 percent) of their shots from the charity stripe, setting season highs in both attempts and makes.
– A&M-Commerce also had a 55-34 rebounding advantage.
– Bryant was one of six Lions in double-digit scoring. Chania Wright (DeSoto) also scored 16 points.
– Princess Davis (Shreveport, La.) scored 15 points and snagged three of the Lions’ nine steals.
– Makayla Foy (Edmond, Okla.) scored 11 points, and Ekaterina Zhibareva (Liske, Russia) and Maddison Glass (Missouri City – Hightower) each netted 10 points. Glass and Alexus Jones (Aledo) tied for the team lead with three assists apiece.

HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME

– On the team’s recent play: “These ladies are playing really, really well and are playing at a high level right now and have completely sold out on doing everything that we’ve asked them to do. We challenged them. We didn’t want to give up any uncontested shots from three. We wanted to make it difficult for them to shoot threes. A team that is averaging pretty much 11 threes made per game only made six, and when you cut what they do in half, you give yourself a really good chance to win.”

– On Bryant’s double-double: “This trip was Alexis Bryant’s coming-out party. She averaged a double-double on this trip and had a double-double in a faster-paced game today. She did such a good job getting up and down the floor, helping the guards out, coming back and rebounding, and then being a presence in the paint. A huge weekend for her.”

– On the team’s rebounding effort: “We had 36 defensive rebounds, and Cameron only had 34 total rebounds, and that was huge for us. Everything in our game plan was about defense. We challenged our guards because when they take a lot of threes, there will be a lot of long rebounds and their guards are so active. We had to do a great job collectively rebounding. Good job on the Lions for following the game plan. Everyone who stepped on the floor today did what they were supposed to do.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions got on the board first before six straight points by the Aggies put them in the lead. The Lions fought back, using a strong inside presence. Zhibareva got to the line multiple times early and also had a quick turnaround layup to bring the Lions back again. With four minutes left the teams were tied at 10. There were four lead changes in the quarter before the Lions ended the quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 17-13 lead.

Wright hit a pull-up three to start the second quarter, and the Lions extended their lead. After the Aggies cut the Lion lead to two points, the Lions went on a 10-0 run to push their lead to double figures. Foy had two layups off of rebounds and Bryant also fought in the paint to help the Lion cause. The teams traded buckets through the rest of the quarter. A three at the buzzer from Cameron sent the Lions into halftime with a 37-27 lead.

Wright led all scorers with 10 points, eight of which came in the second. Bryant had eight points and led the team with six rebounds. Both sides shot 35 percent from the field in half. The Lions were the victors in free throw attempts, hitting nine of their ten chances from the line. The Lions also had 12 offensive rebounds in half, scoring 19 second-chance points.

The Lions went running again early in the third, going on an 11-2 run to push their lead to 20 points. The Lions continued to attack the paint and with free throws and good looks at the basket rewarded them.

The Lions pulled away in the third quarter, bringing their lead to as many as 24 by the final buzzer. The Lions continued to attack the paint and got to the foul line multiple times in the quarter. The Lions scored 13 points from the foul line in the quarter and outscored the Aggies by 14 to take a 61-37 lead into the final quarter.

The Lions continued to hit free throws in the quarter, which was vital. The Aggies upped their full-court pressure and were able to cut the Lion lead to 12 points. However, the Lions hit their free throws down the stretch and left the arena with the 19-point win.

 

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.

 

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.