TAMUC – Sports

 

Clark and Sveard dominate; Lion women and men each finish third at LSC Championships.

Final Results

LUBBOCK – The Texas A&M University-Commerce’s track and field teams each finished in third place at the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships at Texas Tech University on Sunday.

Rashard Clark (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Minna Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) each set meet records during the event.

This marks the Lions’ final indoor meet before the field is set for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships on Tuesday, February 26.

The National Championship will be held at Pittsburg State University on March 8 and 9.

HEAD COACH GEORGE PINCOCK AFTER THE MEET

“Winning the Lone Star Conference is no small task. This is an amazing conference, full of national-level competition. Finishing third on both sides wasn’t that we wanted. The goal was to win the fifth straight LSC title for the men and to win the first for the women.”

“We fell short, but we had some amazing efforts along the way. I am incredibly proud of every effort we had. The student-athletes came to compete. We are leaving Lubbock in good spirits, looking forward to the National Championship, and what I believe will be a special outdoor season.”

TEAM STANDINGS
WOMEN

1	West Texas A&M	169.5
2	Angelo State	135
3	A&M-COMMERCE	126.5
4	Eastern New Mexico	61.5
5	Dallas Baptist	60
6	Tarleton	46.5
7	Texas A&M-Kingsville	34
8	Lubbock Christian	24
9	MSU Texas	4

MEN

1	West Texas A&M	164
2	Angelo State	158.5
3	A&M-COMMERCE	121
4	Texas A&M-Kingsville	84.5
5	Tarleton	47
6	Dallas Baptist	34
7	Lubbock Christian	29
8	Eastern New Mexico	22

RECORDS AND CHAMPIONS

Clark won three gold medals for the Lions, taking top honors in every event he competed in. His 200 meter dash time of 21.09 seconds established a school record and is the fastest time in the nation, even with an altitude-converted time of 21.16 seconds.

He won the 400-meter dash at 47.12 seconds and was the anchor leg on the champion 4×400 meter relay team that crossed the line in 3:11.40.

Svaerd set the meet and school record in the 400-meter dash at 54.88 seconds, which ranks in the top five nationally this season. She won the pole vault competition with a meet record of 3.78 meters (12-4 ¾) and was also on the runner-up 4×400 meter relay team, which crossed the line in 3:47.11

Josh Boateng (St. George’s, Grenada) won the gold medal in the men’s shot put with a long toss of 17.69 meters (58-0 ½).

INDIVIDUAL PLACERS

CHAMPION

Men’s Shot Put – Josh Boateng – 17.69m (58-0 ½)
Women’s 400 Meter Dash – Minna Svaerd – 54.88 (Meet & School Record)
Men’s 400 Meter Dash – Rashard Clark – 47.12
Men’s 200 Meter Dash – Rashard Clark – 21.09 (School Record)
Men’s 4×400 Meter Dash – Gabriel Peterson, D’Lance Sharp, Stadrian Taylor, Rashard Clark – 3:11.40
Women’s Pole Vault – Minna Svaerd – 3.78m (12-4 ¾) (Meet Record)

SECOND

Women’s Pentathlon – Chelsea Cheek – 3,531 points (School Record)
Men’s Pole Vault – Hudson Hall – 5.08m (16-8)
Women’s Weight Throw – Hailey Wanoreck – 17.57m (57-7 ¾)
Men’s Triple Jump – Sir Morgan Loudd – 14.92m (48-11 ½)
Women’s 60 Meter Hurdles – Markaaisha Richardson – 8.68
Women’s 60 Meter Dash – Eboni Coby – 7.53 (School Record)
Women’s 4×400 Meter Relay – Atiana Alexander, Ro’Nisha Simpson, Eboni Coby, Minna Svaerd – 3:47.11

THIRD

Women’s Triple Jump – Mackenzie Clark – 11.98m (39-3 ¾)
Men’s 60 Meter Hurdles – Dorian Andrews – 8.22
Men’s 200 Meter Dash – D’Lance Sharp – 21.39

FOURTH

Women’s Pentathlon – Shanecia Baker – 3,242 points
Men’s Weight Throw – Steven Sanchez – 16.37m (53-8 ½)
Men’s Long Jump – Jordan Wilson – 7.01m (23-0)
Women’s 5,000 Meter Run – Brandi Stalder – 19:05.64
Men’s 400 Meter Dash – Eric Age – 47.99

FIFTH

Women’s Pentathlon – Talia Lujua – 2,942 points
Women’s Long Jump – Taylor Higgs – 5.43m (17-9 ¾)
Women’s Triple Jump – Talia Lujua – 11.35m (37-3)
Men’s Mile Run – Timon Kemboi – 4:24.06
Women’s 400 Meter Dash – Atiana Alexander – 56.73
Men’s 400 Meter Dash – D’Lance Sharp – 48.20
Men’s 800 Meter Run – Steeven Martinez – 1:56.34
Women’s 200 Meter Dash – Eboni Coby – 24.59
Men’s 200 Meter Dash – Stadrian Taylor – 21.72

SIXTH

Women’s Long Jump – Mackenzie Clark – 5.40m (17-8 ¾)
Men’s Long Jump – Sir Morgan Loudd – 6.91m (22-8)
Men’s High Jump – Jordan Wilson – 1.97m (6-5 ½)
Women’s Distance Medley Relay – Maiya Collins, Jahonna Hinds, Ruth Leach, Brandi Stalder – 13:18.38
Men’s Triple Jump – Darien Redd – 14.48m (47-6 ¼)
Men’s Mile Run – Steeven Martinez – 4:24.85
Women’s 60 Meter Hurdles – Chelsea Cheek – 9.15
Men’s 400 Meter Dash – Gabriel Peterson – 48.47
Men’s 60 Meter Dash – Nichael Whitehead – 7.00

SEVENTH

Men’s Pole Vault – Jake Graf – 4.48m (14-8 ¼)
Women’s Long Jump – Markaaisha Richardson – 5.33m (17-6)
Women’s Shot Put – Hailey Wanoreck – 12.87m (42-2 ¾)
Women’s 60 Meter Hurdles – Maryam Muhammad – 9.24
Women’s 400 Meter Dash – Markaaisha Richardson – 57.75
Women’s 60 Meter Dash – Mackenzie Clark – 7.73

EIGHTH

Men’s Triple Jump – Trayveon Franklin – 13.92m (45-8)
Women’s High Jump – Chelsea Cheek – 1.55m (5-1)
Women’s 60 Meter Hurdles – Anne Spearman – 9.28
Men’s 200 Meter Dash – Eric Age – 22.17

 

 

Lion women lead, men in fourth after the first day at LSC Indoor Championships.

Results In Progress

LUBBOCK – The Texas A&M University-Commerce track and field teams competed in the first day of the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships at Texas Tech on Saturday, with the women’s team holding the lead in the team standings and the men sitting in fourth place.

TEAM STANDINGS

With five of 17 events completed in the women’s games, the Lions are in the lead, holding a 42-40 margin over Angelo State. The Lions collected 17 points in the pentathlon.

1	A&M-COMMERCE	42
2	Angelo State	40
3	West Texas A&M	29
4	Dallas Baptist	28
5	Tarleton	21
6	Texas A&M-Kingsville	12
7	Lubbock Christian	10
8	Eastern New Mexico	9
9	MSU Texas	4

On the men’s side, six of 17 events have been completed. The Lions are in fourth place, but are slated to make up ground with heavy representation in the running finals Sunday.

1	Angelo State	68.5
2	West Texas A&M	47
3	Texas A&M-Kingsville	33.5
4	A&M-COMMERCE	26
5	Tarleton	25
6	Dallas Baptist	18
7	Lubbock Christian	9
8	Eastern New Mexico	4

RECORDS AND PODIUM FINISHES

School records highlighted the day on the women’s side. Chelsea Cheek (Baytown – Lee) claimed runner-up honors in the pentathlon with 3,531 points, eclipsing her previous school record.

In the running prelims, Minna Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) tied the LSC Championship record and put her name in the school record book in the 400-meter dash with a blazing time of 55.06 seconds, which marks a top 10 time in the nation this season. The time was over a second quicker than her previous best time this season.

Joining Cheek with podium finishes were Hudson Hall (Gregory-Portland) in the men’s pole vault and Hailey Wanoreck (Beaumont – Hamshire-Fannett), who were each the LSC runner-up.

PRELIMS

The Lions will be heavily represented in the running finals on Sunday, with three events where four Lions will run.

In the women’s 60 meter hurdles, Markaaisha Richardson (Amarillo – Tascosa) claimed the top time in the prelims at 8.61 seconds. She will be joined in the finals by Cheek, Maryam Muhammad (Spring – College Park), and Anne Spearman (Mansfield).

In the men’s 400 meter dash, the Lions’ depth shone, as D’Lance Sharp (Commerce) claimed the top prelims time at 47.82 seconds. He will be joined in the finals by Rashard Clark (Los Angeles, Calif.), Eric Age (Lancaster), and Gabriel Peterson (Lancaster).

The men’s group in the 200-meter dash also qualified four runners for the finals, led by Clark, who clocked in at 21.18 seconds – only one one-hundredth of a second off the school record. He will be joined in the event finals by Sharp, Age, and Stadrian Taylor (Lancaster).

Svaerd leads a group of three women in the 400-meter dash finals. Richardson and Atiana Alexander (San Antonio – Northside Taft) will join her.

Action resumes at 11 a.m. Sunday with field events and running finals.

FINALS RESULTS

SECOND

Women’s Pentathlon – Chelsea Cheek – 3,531 points (School Record)
Men’s Pole Vault – Hudson Hall – 5.08m (16-8)
Women’s Weight Throw – Hailey Wanoreck – 17.57m (57-7 ¾)

FOURTH

Women’s Pentathlon – Shanecia Baker – 3,242 points
Men’s Weight Throw – Steven Sanchez – 16.37m (53-8 ½)
Men’s Long Jump – Jordan Wilson – 7.01m (23-0)
Women’s 5,000 Meter Run – Brandi Stalder – 19:05.64

FIFTH
Women’s Pentathlon – Talia Lujua – 2,942 points
Women’s Long Jump – Taylor Higgs – 5.43m (17-9 ¾)

SIXTH

Women’s Long Jump – Mackenzie Clark – 5.40m (17-8 ¾)
Men’s Long Jump – Sir Morgan Loudd – 6.91m (22-8)
Men’s High Jump – Jordan Wilson – 1.97m (6-5 ½)
Women’s Distance Medley Relay – Maiya Collins, Jahonna Hinds, Ruth Leach, Brandi Stalder – 13:18.38

SEVENTH

Men’s Pole Vault – Jake Graf – 4.48m (14-8 ¼)
Women’s Long Jump – Markaaisha Richardson – 5.33m (17-6)

ADVANCING TO FINALS

Women’s 60m Hurdles – Markaaisha Richardson, Chelsea Cheek, Maryam Muhammad, Anne Spearman
Women’s 400m Dash – Minna Svaerd, Atiana Alexander, Markaaisha Richardson
Women’s 60m Dash – Eboni Coby, Mackenzie Clark
Women’s 200m Dash – Eboni Coby

Men’s 60m Hurdles – Dorian Andrews
Men’s 400m Dash – D’Lance Sharp, Rashard Clark, Eric Age, Gabriel Peterson
Men’s 60m Dash – Nichael Whitehead
Men’s 800m Run – Steeven Martinez
Men’s 200m Dash – Rashard Clark, D’Lance Sharp, Stadrian Taylor, Eric Age

 

 

Bruister picks up career win No. 500 and Otto tossed a no-hitter as No. 9 Lions pick up shutout sweep of MSU Texas.

COMMERCE – Head coach Richie Bruister picked up his 500th win as a collegiate head coach as the No. 9 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team completed a sweep of MSU Texas with a pair of run-rule shutouts on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions won 12-0 in the opener, then picked up a 9-0 win in the nightcap. A&M-Commerce moves to 12-1 overall and 3-0 in LSC action with the wins, while the Mustangs fall to 7-5 overall and 0-3 in the league. The Lions did not give up a run to open their conference season, winning three shutouts over the weekend.

The Lions are next scheduled to host Texas A&M International for a 2 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday. Tickets are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House or by purchase at the gate of the John Cain Family Softball Field.

A&M-COMMERCE HEAD COACH RICHIE BRUISTER AFTER THE SERIES

– On the team taking advantage of MSU’s errors: “We stayed focus the whole time, were patient at the plate and had some opportunities with our speed to get people on base. Then we had some good timely hitting with those grand slams.”

– On the no-hitter from Otto: “She is just outstanding. It was a tough environment. Midwestern State didn’t want to get swept. For her to come in and close it out the way she did, no-hitter style, was just fantastic. It was a tough ball game. We were just up 1-0 through five. She kept her composure and showed her maturity again today.”

– On getting to win No. Five hundred of his coaching career: “You couldn’t script it any better than it happened today. I want to thank the good Lord for the opportunities He’s given me. I want to thank my family too. I have a wonderful wife and dad. Everybody has supported me all these years. It is tough being a family member of a coach with all the time we have to spend working to be successful. I couldn’t be more thankful for my family. I want to thank my staff members that have been great through all my years. I’ve been fortunate for them to stand by me, now with Coach May and Coach McNutt. I want to thank all the support staff and the administration at the universities I have coached for. And most of all, to the players. They have overcome bad coaching,” Bruister quipped. “I have outrecruited my coaching ability. I am very proud of what they do every single day. My hats are off to the players and my coaching staffs for all they have done throughout the years.”

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 1)

– The Lions scored 11 unearned runs to roll over the Mustangs in the opening game of the day. The Lions took advantage of two costly fielding errors by MSU and made them pay the price.
– Ciera Nunez (Amarillo – Randall) went 3-for-3 with a run scored.
– Bri Sims (Rowlett) went 2-for-3 with her second career grand slam.
– Kinsie Hebler (Cypress) and Chealsea Slider (Texarkana – Texas High) each drove in two runs.
– Katie Dean (Whitesboro) moved to 4-0 on the season with the five-inning shutout, allowing five hits and four walks, striking out two and stranding eight Mustangs.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 1)

Kilcrease reached on a dropped fly ball to open the bottom of the first, followed by walks by Jodie Hill (Heavener, Okla.) and Vanessa Muro (Oak Hills, Calif.). Hebler dropped a two-run single down the right-field line, and Slider smashed a two-run double through the left side, giving A&M-Commerce the early 4-0 lead.

The Lions scored all eight runs in the third inning with two outs. After Kilcrease brought home a run with bases loaded hit by pitch, three runs came home when Neal’s fly ball dropped to the right. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases again, and Sims’ monster homer to the left brought home four on her second career grand slam.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 2)

– Emily Otto (Richmond – Lamar Consolidated) pitched her second career no-hitter, moving to 7-0 on the season with seven strikeouts and two walks in 5.0 innings.
– Muro ended the game in the fifth inning with a walk-off grand slam. It was the first grand slam of her A&M-Commerce career.
– Nunez and Kilcrease each had a pair of hits in the game, while Hill picked up an RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 2)

Kilcrease opened the bottom of the first with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on a wild pitch.

The Lions were held off the board for the next three innings, while Otto didn’t allow any Mustangs to reach scoring position.

Hebler opened the bottom of the fifth with a single, followed by a Slider walk. Ta’Lyn Moody (Mansfield – Legacy) laid down a perfect bunt single, and an errant MSU throw allowed her and both preceding runners to score.

Singles by Nunez and Kilcrease and a hit by pitch loaded the bases. Hill walked to push the fifth run of the game across, then Muro launched the ball over the left field fence to set off the celebrations with the run-rule victory.

 

 

Otto twirls shutout as No. 9 Lions shut out MSU Texas, 4-0 to open LSC play.

COMMERCE – The No. 9 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team opened Lone Star Conference play with a 4-0 shutout of MSU Texas at the John Cain Family Field on Friday night. The Lions scored all four of their runs in the fifth inning and rode their pitching to a shutout victory.

The Lions move to 10-1 overall and 1-0 in LSC action with the win, while the Mustangs fall to 7-3 overall and 0-1 in the league.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. Tickets to the doubleheader are available by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, or by purchase at the gate of the John Cain Family Softball Field.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Emily Otto (Richmond – Lamar Consolidated) moved her record to 6-0 with a three-hit complete game shutout. She struck out five and walked one. It is Otto’s fifth shutout of the season and the 18th of her career. She is now the program’s all-time leader in complete games.
– Vanessa Muro (Oak Hills, Calif.) broke the game open in the fifth with a three-run double to right-center.
– Bri Sims (Rowlett) drew three walks. Chealsea Slider (Texarkana – Texas High), Ta’Lyn Moody (Mansfield – Legacy), and Ciera Nunez (Amarillo – Randall) each had singles in the contest.

HEAD COACH RICHIE BRUISTER AFTER THE GAME

– On the timely hitting in the fifth inning: “Our bottom of the lineup came through there. Slider came out and singled up the middle. Then Moody had the bunt single, and Nunez followed that up with a bunt hit as well. We loaded the bases. Then Kilcrease got hit by the pitch and brought one in. Then, Muro had the big two-out hit with the bases loaded into the gap. It was a big time for her to step up in that situation.”

– On the pitching performance of Emily Otto: “I was proud of her maturity. The defense didn’t play how we wanted. She is used to really good defense. But she kept her composure, and our defense kept its composure, and we got out of some crucial innings. They had bases loaded with nobody out, and she stepped up and did her job. I was really proud of her maturity and how she handled those situations.”

– On preparing for two more against MSU on Saturday: “The Lone Star Conference is tough. They are going to come in tomorrow and do everything they can to beat us. We are going to have to play better than we did today. I’m proud of how our girls battled today, but we will have to make some adjustments and go out and do our thing tomorrow.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

Otto kept the Mustangs off the board despite multiple jams. MSU had the bases loaded with none out in the second before three straight outs, and stranded at third in the fourth inning was a runner in scoring position.

The Lions were held hitless until the fifth inning before Slider started the rally with a leadoff single to center. Moody continued the run with a pinch-hit infield single and Nunez legged out an infield single to load the bases. Kayla Kilcrease (Kerens) was hit by a pitch on the first pitch of her plate appearance to put the Lions up 1-0.

After a strikeout and an infield fly, Muro broke the game open with a bases-clearing double to right-center, putting the Lions ahead 4-0.

Given the cushion, Otto cruised, retiring every batter in the sixth, then inducing a double play in the seventh to end the game.

 

 

Lions pull away late in 69-51 win over TWU.·

DENTON– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team defeated Texas Woman’s 69-51 on Thursday night. The Lions took the lead for good late in the first quarter and pulled away in the fourth quarter for the win.

The win brings the Lions to 16-8 on the season and 11-5 in the Lone Star Conference. TWU falls to 9-14 and 6-9 in conference play. The Lions swept the season series against the Pioneers.

The Lions are off for a week before returning for their final two home games of the regular season. Then the Lions host Eastern New Mexico on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The Lion men against ENMU will immediately follow. You can purchase tickets to the doubleheader at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756 or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House.

HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME

On the physicality of the game: “That was a physical game by both teams, and neither team shot a lot of free throws. I think this game will more closely resemble what we will see at the conference tournament. Some of those plays where there was contact, it wasn’t enough to warrant a foul call tonight. A lot of our offense typically comes from the free throw line. We had to make sure we finished plays and were more efficient. And we shot 41 percent, which is one of our better games when we weren’t getting to the line.”

On the defensive effort: “When we play defense like this, when you hold a team like this to 51 points, I think we are going to win a lot of games. That is something that has to continue down the stretch. I thought our intensity from start to finish, and our attention to detail was at a high level. That is the type of playoff basketball we have to play.”

On the full court pressure: “That has been a staple for us. We want to speed up the game and make them uncomfortable. TWU does a nice job of getting the ball to their post players, and when we give them less than 20 seconds to set up their offense, we feel like we did a good job. I thought we sped them up and got some turnovers that led to some easy buckets in the second half.”

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Chania Wright (DeSoto) led the Lions with 14 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field.
– Alexus Jones (Lewisville – Aledo) added 13 points.
– Ekaterina Zhibareva (Liske, Russia) and Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville) both had 12 points as the Lions pounded the paint for 42 points.
– Princess Davis (Shreveport, La.) added 11 points and also had eight rebounds and six assists.
– The Lions shot 41 percent in the game and held TWU to 34 percent shooting. The Lions also had a 22-2 lead in fast break points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Jones hit an early three for the Lions as they took the lead early. There were several lead changes early as the teams battled back and forth. Both sides struggled from the field shortly before the Pioneers made a three to take the lead with 3:44 to go. The Lions battled back as they held TWU without a field goal in the final four minutes. The Lions went into the second with a 13-10 lead.

After an early Pioneer basket, the Lions went on a 9-0 run in the second quarter to take a double-digit lead. With seven minutes left, the Lions led 22-12. TWU answered back with a 6-0 run of their own to cut into the Lion lead. The teams battled back and forth for several minutes as the Lion lead went between eight and four for the rest of the period. The Lions went into halftime with a 33-27 lead.

Wright led the Lions with eight points in the first half, hitting all four of her shots. Jones, Davis, and Zhibareva each added six points. The Lions shot 48 percent in the first half, including 69 percent in the second quarter. The Lions won the rebounding battle in the first half but lost the turnover battle, losing it eight times. The Lions held a 20-12 lead in the paint in the first half.

After the Pioneers hit an early three to start the third, the Lions once again went running. Davis converted a three-point play as the Lions built an 11-point lead after four minutes gone in the third. The teams traded buckets the rest of the way as the Lions took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Lions pulled away in the final period. Zhibareva had two early buckets as the Lions pushed their lead 15 points. The Pioneers cut the Lion lead down to 10 points before the Lion defense had multiple steals and layups to push their lead further. The Lions pushed their lead to as many as 18 in the game.

 

 

Lions earn a season sweep of Tarleton with 65-58 win.

STEPHENVILLE – The Texas A&M-Commerce men’s basketball team won the turnover battle and picked up a crucial road victory, beating Tarleton State University 65-58 in Wisdom Gym on Thursday night.

The win gives the Lions their first regular-season sweep of the Texans since the 2000-01 season. A&M-Commerce is now 19-5 overall and 11-3 in the Lone Star Conference, while Tarleton is now 18-7 overall and 8-6 in the league.

The Lions are away from action for a week and return to the floor on Thursday, February 21, hosting Eastern New Mexico at 7:30 p.m. in the Field House.

COACH JARET von ROSENBERG AFTER THE GAME

On picking up a road win at Tarleton: “It’s such a tough building to come into and win. That’s a credit to their program – it’s tough to win in here, and our guys know that. They knew it was going to be tough to get a win and we were going to need to play tough for the whole 40 minutes. We had different guys step up and contribute all night.”

On the Lions’ defensive effort: “Hats off to our guys, we switched some stuff that we’ve never done all year and didn’t practice with it much. We just talked about it and watched some film, and they really stepped up and did an unbelievable job. We talked about being connected on the floor, and that’s always something you want to continue to get better at. I thought our guys were really connected tonight. Even when things didn’t go our way, they kept playing and stayed together for 40 minutes.”

On winning a low-scoring game: “Hats off to our guys for continuing to battle. We’re averaging 83 points per game, and it’s exciting for me to see that we’re able to play a different style of game and still get a win.”

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Willie Rooks (Houston – North Forest) led all scorers with 19 points, connecting on four three-pointers. He also had two rebounds and two assists without committing a turnover.
– Trey Conrod (Kilgore) scored 14 points with four rebounds and two steals.
– Wayne Stewart (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 12 points.
– The Lions shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) from the floor and made 10-of-30 (33.3 percent) of their three-pointers.
– Tarleton held a 32-28 rebounding advantage and shot 46.5 percent from the floor, but the Lions scored 22 points off of 18 Tarleton turnovers and also scored 12 second-chance points on 12 offensive rebounds.
– Srdan Budimir (Karadjordjevo, Serbia) scored eight points with three assists and five steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions jumped on their hosts early, roaring out to a 10-2 lead in the first 2:14 of the game. Conrod made his first three shots of the night – including a three-pointer – and Budimir also drained a triple. Tarleton responded with a 12-2 run to give the hosts their early lead of the night with 13 minutes left in the first half.

The Texans led by as many as six points in the first half at the 6:43 mark before an A&M-Commerce rally. The Lions outscored the home side by a 14-4 count in the final stages of the first half, keeping Tarleton scoreless from the field in the last five minutes of the half. Rodney Brown (Beaumont – West Brook) scored a three-point play in the final seconds to give the Lions a 33-29 lead at the break.

Tarleton tied the game up at 36-all with just over 16 minutes remaining in regulation, and the teams stayed firmly locked up for the next few minutes. Tarleton led by two with 13 minutes to play before a Stewart trey flipped the lead back in the Lions’ favor.

From a 49-all tie with 10 minutes to play, Rooks and Conrod made consecutive three-pointers to put the Lions up for good. Tarleton could get no closer than four points in the remainder of the contest. The Texans made only one field goal in the final five minutes, and the Lions nailed clutch free throws down the stretch to seal the Lions’ third victory in Stephenville in the last decade.

 

Josh Manck
Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
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Marcus Jensen
Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
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