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No. 12 Lions race out of the gate to 80-55 win over St. Edward’s
AUSTIN – The No. 12 Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team defeated St. Edward’s 80-55 on Saturday afternoon. The Lions jumped to a big lead right from the start and continued their strong play throughout the game to pick up the win.
The victory brings the Lions to 8-0 on the season. St. Edward’s falls to 5-2, with both of their losses coming at the hands of the Lions. The game was a non-conference game for the teams.
No. 12 A&M-Commerce returns to Lone Star Conference action next week as they travel to face UT Tyler. The game will be on Saturday at 2:00 pm at the Louise Herrington Patriot Center. The Lion men against the Patriots at 4:00 pm will follow.
HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME
– Thoughts on the game: “We stepped up today and put together a great road win against a good St. Edward’s team. Our goal was to continue to have the great first quarters that we’ve been having, and not have the second quarter let down. We strung together two really good quarters in the first half and another in the third. We played a very high level of defense through three quarters, but we gave up way too many offensive rebounds in the second half. That’s something we’ll look to correct moving forward.”
– On getting production throughout the lineup: “We had an outstanding day from our whole team. Three players neared double-doubles, four scored in double figures, with another three having nine points. Everyone scored, and everyone contributed on the defensive end. It is not easy to beat a team twice, and definitely not easy to beat a team twice by double figures, and we did that by a complete team effort. This team continues to make me proud.”
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Lions had four players finish in double figures, and had three other players finish with nine points.
– A&M-Commerce shot 47 percent from the field, including 57 percent in the first half. They also finished +14 on the glass.
– The Lions scored 23 points off of 17 SEU turnovers and had 38 points off of the bench.
– Dyani Robinson (Cypress – Langham Creek) led the Lions with 11 points. Chania Wright (DeSoto), Alexus Jones (Lewisville – Aledo), and Mykiel Burleson (Pflugerville) also each finished in double figures with 10 points apiece.
– Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville), Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.), and DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) all narrowly missed double-doubles, each finishing with nine points. Bryant led the team with 13 rebounds, while Louis had 10, and Kernal had eight.
– All 10 Lions who played scored at least two baskets.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hilltoppers scored the first point of the game on a free throw before the Lions exploded for a huge run. Wright and Maddison Glass (Missouri City – Hightower) each had a pair of buckets as the Lions went on a 14-0 run over the next four minutes to establish a lead. The Hilltoppers began to find some offense but still could not hold the Lions off the board. A late three from Wright sent the Lions into the second quarter with a 28-13 lead.
The Lions pushed their lead even higher to begin the second as a pair of early buckets gave them a 19-point lead. The Hilltoppers began to keep pace with the Lion offense, cutting the lead back to 13 points before the Lions again went on a run to end the half. Bryant had a late field goal as the Lions went into halftime leading 44-25.
The Lions had all 10 of their players score in the first half. Wright led all scorers with 10 points, including a pair of triples. The Lions shot 57 percent in the first half, including 65 percent in the first quarter. The Lions also had 16 points off of turnovers in the first half.
The Lions came out of the locker room and continued their strong play, as Bryant opened the quarter with a three-point play. Louis also had a three-point play as the Lions continued to attack the paint. The Lions pushed their lead over 30 points late in the quarter and went into the fourth with a 67-37 lead.
The Hilltoppers went on an early run in the fourth quarter, going on an 11-2 run to cut the Lion lead down. However, that was as close as they would come as the Lions finished the game as well as they started it. The Lions left with the 25-point victory.
No. 21 Lions playoff run comes to a close with 42-21 loss to No. 4 Minnesota State in Regional Final.
MANKATO, Minn. – The No. 21 Texas A&M University-Commerce football team saw its fifth straight trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs come to a close with a 42-21 loss. It was to No. 4 Minnesota State in the NCAA Division II Regional Championship game on Saturday at Blakeslee Stadium. After a close first half, the Lions fell behind in the second half and could not recover.
The loss drops the Lions to 11-3 on the season, and their season comes to a close with their fourth consecutive 10-plus win season and the fourth straight playoff run to at least the regional semifinal round. The Lions senior class of 2019 completes their collegiate careers with a school-record 49 victories – six more than the next-closest class. The Mavericks improve to 13-0 and advance to the National Semifinal game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Miklo Smalls (Plano – East Senior) finished the game, completing 20-of-40 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown. Preston Wheeler (Austin – Bowie) completed 4-of-5 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.
– Kelan Smith (Dallas – First Baptist Acad.) caught the touchdown pass from Smalls in the first quarter. He finished with 96 yards on a team-high eight catches.
– Chance Cooper (Leander – Rouse) led the team with 114 yards receiving on seven grabs.
– Tyler Guice (Atlanta, Ga.) caught Wheeler’s touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter.
– Christian Wise (Houston – Bellaire) recovered a fumbled punt return in the end zone in the first quarter for the Lions’ second touchdown.
– Dominique Ramsey (Converse – Judson) was the leading rusher, gaining 26 yards on the ground.
– Terrell Collins (St. Louis, Mo.) led the defense with 12 tackles and the team’s lone sack.
– Minnesota State rushed for 277 yards in the game, while the Lions had just 64 yards rushing. The Lions had 346 passing yards and held MSU to only 45 yards through the air.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mavericks took the opening kickoff and drove down the field right away, mainly on the ground. Running back, Nate Gunn had a 43-yard run to drive into Lion territory, and the Mavericks punched the ball in for the first score of the game.
The Lions immediately returned the favor on their first drive of the game, mainly through the air. Smith had a pair of grabs on the drive to move the chains and was then on the receiving end of a 22-yard catch-and-run, which he took to the pylon for a score tying the game at 7-all with 8:49 left in the first quarter.
Defenses began to take over the game, as the Lions forced two consecutive punts, but they held them to punts on their drives. On the Lions’ second punt, the Maverick returner could not handle the punt, and the ball popped off his hands and into the end zone. Wise, rushing down to cover, saw the ball and pounced on it, recovering the fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The Lions led 14-7 entering the second quarter.
The Mavericks continued their ground-and-pound offense and again had success. Gunn had a long run and finished the drive with a three-yard run to tie the game early in the second quarter. After a Lion punt went short in swirling winds, the Mavericks had a short field and took advantage, again using their ground attack. Quarterback J.D. Ekowa was the one to find the end zone, giving MSU a 21-14 lead midway through the quarter.
After a Lion interception on their next drive, the Lion defense forced a three-and-out to give the ball right back to the offense. The Lions again found their rhythm, driving the field with the legs and the arm of Smalls. The Lions drove near the red zone, but a penalty and some stuffed runs stalled the drive, and the Lions went into halftime trailing 21-14.
The teams traded punts twice to begin the second half as the defenses ruled early in half. On their third drive of the half, the Lions tried some trickery, as they threw a lateral to Childers, who looked to pass himself. The pass went back to the left but straight into the hands of Maverick defender Alex Goettl, who raced to the end zone to give MSU a 28-14 lead, which is where the quarter ended.
The Mavericks again found the end zone early in the fourth quarter to push their lead to 35-14 with 12 minutes left. The Lions continued to fight, as a long pass from Smalls to Guice put the Lions in the red zone. However, they could not find the end zone as the Maverick defense brought the house multiple times and played tight coverage, forcing a turnover on downs.
One more rushing attack drive by the Mavericks pushed their lead to 42-14. The Lions put together one final scoring drive, as Wheeler entered the game for one last career drive. He completed a pair of short gainers before finding Ryan Stokes (St. Louis, Mo.) for a 52-yard gain. Wheeler then found Guice for a two-yard touchdown to finish the Lion scoring.
Hot-shooting Lions use impressive ball movement to pick up 103-63 win over Science and Arts.
COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team pulled off a convincing 103-63 win over the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma on Friday night. The Lions shot lights out throughout the game, netting a season-high scoring output.
The win brings the Lions to 4-3 on the season, as they bring their winning percentage above .500. The contest was an exhibition for the Drovers.
The Lions return to conference action as they travel to Tyler to face divisional foe UT Tyler. The game will be on Dec. 14 at 4:00 pm at the Louise Herrington Patriot Center. The Lion women against the Patriots at 2:00 pm precede the game.
HEAD COACH JARET VON ROSENBERG AFTER THE GAME
– On the second-half surge: “We came out of the half and really did it on the defensive end. We kept getting stops and turnovers and were able to extend the lead. And those guys that came in that haven’t played a lot or don’t get a lot of minutes every night; they did an unbelievable job on the defensive end. They were locked in.”
– On executing on both ends of the floor: “Hopefully, we can continue to build on what we did tonight. We did some things tonight better than we have done from an execution standpoint. Hopefully, we can keep adding to that and keep executing better. It’s only going to get harder as the season goes along.”
– On the assist total: “It was great to see 26 assists tonight. We had multiple guys get at least two assists, and almost everyone who played had one. That is definitely a positive.”
– On getting a lot of bench production: “We have a lot of talented guys on our team. Our bench has been playing well, and they make it tough on me, in a good way. You can only play five guys at a time.”
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Lions were efficient on offense all night long, assisting on 26 of their field goals in the game. The Lions shot 53 percent in the game, and 45 percent from beyond the arc.
– Deon Barrett (Dallas – Lancaster) led the team with 17 points, all of which came in the first half. He also led the team with five assists.
– Austin Grandstaff (Rockwall) added 14 points, including four threes in the game. Deonta Terrell (Chicago, Ill.) also had 14 points in the game.
– The Lions played 14 players in the game, and each one scored. A&M-Commerce scored 46 bench points in the game.
– The Lions hit 18 threes in the game and also scored 29 points off of turnovers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a back and forth beginning to the game, as the teams traded buckets early on. Terrell had a pair of buckets first in the game. The Drovers were hot from the floor to begin, hitting early threes to build a slim lead.
The Lions then began to answer with some threes of their own. Alberto Moreno (Ingenio, Gran Canaria) and Leo Lara (Santa Rosa) assisted on each other’s shots as the Lions went on a 12-1 run over the next three minutes to build a significant lead. The Lions upped their intensity and execution on the defensive end as well, holding the Drovers without a field goal for nearly four minutes. Midway through the half, the Lions led 26-19.
Barrett caught fire in half to spark the Lions once again, and he hit multiple threes in half. The Lions pushed their lead to double figures with about eight minutes left in half, and there it stayed as A&M-Commerce was efficient on the offensive end for the remainder of the half.
The Lions shot 61 percent in the first half, led by 17 points from Barrett, who canned five threes. Terrell added 12 points, and Grandstaff had eight. The Lions assisted on 14 of their 20 made field goals in the first half. The Lions also had 15 points off of 11 Drover turnovers in the first half.
Grandstaff had the early hot hand for the Lions as they pushed their lead to 25 points early in the second half. While the Lion shooting percentage dipped, the Lions crashed the offensive glass early in half, extending multiple possessions as they continued to build their lead. Midway through the half, the Lions led by 24.
The lead allowed the Lions to empty the bench, allowing multiple players to have extended minutes. The Lions continued to play unselfish offense, as they assisted on nearly every made basket down the stretch. The Lions shot hot to close as they pushed their lead to 40 points to finish.
Simon, Ramsey named First Team All-Super Region Four by D2CCA
COMMERCE – Texas A&M University-Commerce football standouts Amon Simon and Dominique Ramsey have been named First Team All-Super Region Four by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA), as announced Friday morning.
Simon earns D2CCA All-Region honors on the offensive line for the second consecutive season, after being named second-team in 2018. Ramsey earned first-team honors as both a safety and a return specialist. He had also previously been on the second team in 2018.
The D2CCA teams are selected by the region’s sports information directors and only reflect regular-season statistics.
In 2019, Simon (Humble – Atascocita) earned Lone Star Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year and First Team All-LSC honors at offensive tackle. He blocked for an offense that averaged 407.9 yards and 36.1 points per game.
Ramsey (Converse – Judson) earned LSC Special Teams Player of the Week honors twice in 2019, ranking second in the nation in kickoff return average at 37.5 yards per return, and second in the LSC and ninth in the nation in punt return average at 14.7 yards per return. His return prowess has seen teams kick away from him insomuch as he did not return a kickoff in the last three games of the regular season. He also had 39 tackles, three interceptions, two pass breakups, and two tackles for loss on defense.
These two honorees advance to the All-American ballot, with winners announced on December 19 in the lead up to the National Championship Game.
Simon, Ramsey, and the Lions will play in the Regional Final of the NCAA Division II Football Championship on Saturday, taking on top-seeded Minnesota State in Mankato, Minn., at noon.
2019 D2CCA Football All-Super Region Four
First Team Offense
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| TE | Chase Hess | Dixie St. | Jr. | 6-4 | 225 | Taylorsville, Utah |
| OL | Evan Heim 1 | Minnesota St. | Sr. | 6-4 | 305 | De Pere, Wis. |
| OL | Grant Stewart 2 | Colorado School of Mines | R-Sr. | 6-2 | 305 | Southlake, Texas |
| OL | Amon Simon 2 | A&M-Commerce | R-Jr. | 6-5 | 275 | Humble, Texas |
| OL | Nicholas Streubel | Central Washington | R-Sr. | 6-3 | 305 | Oak Harbor, Wash. |
| OL | Cody Ullestad | Colorado School of Mines | R-Sr. | 6-1 | 275 | Georgetown, Texas |
| WR | Zimari Manning | Tarleton | Sr. | 6-2 | 200 | Long Beach, Calif. |
| WR | Shane Zylstra 1 | Minnesota St. | Sr. | 6-5 | 215 | Spicer, Minn. |
| QB | Ben Holmes | Tarleton | Sr. | 6-0 | 200 | Orchard Park, N.Y. |
| RB | Nate Gunn 1 | Minnesota St. | Sr. | 6-2 | 220 | Minooka, Ill. |
| RB | Daniel McCants | Tarleton | Sr. | 5-8 | 175 | Killeen, Texas |
| RS | Dominique Ramsey | A&M-Commerce | R-Jr. | 5-9 | 190 | Converse, Texas |
| K | Paul Ortiz | Winona St. | Sr. | 6-1 | 190 | Chula Vista, Calif. |
First Team Defense
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| DL | Chris Garrett 1 | Concordia-St. Paul | Jr. | 6-4 | 230 | Milwaukee, Wis. |
| DL | B.J. Jefferson | Tarleton | Sr. | 6-1 | 245 | Acres Home, Texas |
| DL | Jackson Wibbels | Colorado St.-Pueblo | Sr. | 6-1 | 243 | Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| LB | Chris Hoad 1 | UT Permian Basin | Sr. | 6-0 | 228 | Leander, Texas |
| LB | Kyle Rosenbrock | Colorado St.-Pueblo | Sr. | 6-0 | 228 | Brush, Colo. |
| LB | Ronnell Wilson | Tarleton | Jr. | 6-3 | 235 | Abilene, Texas |
| LB | James Maxie | Colorado St.-Pueblo | Sr. | 6-1 | 230 | Parker, Colo. |
| S | Nick Ciccio | Colorado Mesa | R-So. | 6-0 | 190 | Castle Pines, Colo. |
| S | Dominique Ramsey 2 | A&M-Commerce | R-Jr. | 5-9 | 190 | Converse, Texas |
| CB | Prince Robinson | Tarleton | Sr. | 6-0 | 190 | Houston, Texas |
| CB | Michael Junker | Bemidji St. | Sr. | 5-10 | 180 | Hastings, Minn. |
| P | JoseLuis Moreno | Minot St. | Sr. | 6-0 | 180 | San Lorenzo, Calif. |
Second Team Offense
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| TE | Jordan Johnson | West Texas A&M | Sr. | 6-1 | 250 | Eagle Lake, Texas |
| OL | Cody Hayes | Tarleton | R-Sr. | 6-5 | 300 | Fort Worth, Rxas |
| OL | Rich Kelly | Concordia-St. Paul | Sr. | 6-5 | 315 | Plainfield, Ill. |
| OL | Noah Perez | Tarleton | Sr. | 6-2 | 280 | Stephenville, Texas |
| OL | Joseph Gonzales | Western Oregon | Sr. | 6-6 | 315 | Springfield, Ore. |
| OL | J.P. Pierre | Tarleton | Sr. | 6-4 | 310 | Royal Palm Beach, Fla. |
| WR | Daniel Davis | Southwest Minnesota St. | Sr. | 5-11 | 175 | Tarpon Springs, Fla. |
| WR | Tariq Bitson | Adams St. | R-Jr. | 6-2 | 200 | Tulsa, Okla. |
| QB | John Matocha | Colorado School of Mines | Fr. | 5-11 | 180 | Magnolia, Texas |
| RB | Paul Terry | Eastern N.M. | Sr. | 5-9 | 200 | Amarillo, Texas |
| RB | Michael Zeman | Colorado School of Mines | R-So. | 5-11 | 210 | Wheat Ridge, Colo. |
| RS | Tobias Harris | West Texas A&M | So. | 5-9 | 180 | Pflugerville, Texas |
| K | Tyler Vargas | Eastern N.M. | Sr. | 5-10 | 185 | San Diego, Calif. |
Second Team Defense
| Pos | Player | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| DL | Jordan Wells | Tarleton | Jr. | 5-11 | 275 | Navasota, Texas |
| DL | Jacob Protzman | Wayne St. (Neb.) | Sr. | 6-4 | 250 | Grimes, Iowa |
| DL | Erik Hansen | Upper Iowa | Jr. | 6-3 | 250 | Burlington, Ill. |
| LB | Frank Honang | West Texas A&M | Sr. | 5-10 | 203 | Saginaw, Texas |
| LB | Zach Robertson | Minnesota St. | Sr. | 6-2 | 215 | Rochester, Minn. |
| LB | Hunter Kyle | Angelo St. | Jr. | 6-3 | 230 | Wichita Falls, Texas |
| LB | Averie Mansfield | Colorado School of Mines | R-Sr. | 6-2 | 230 | Bandera, Texas |
| S | Benjie Franklin | Tarleton | Jr. | 5-11 | 185 | Houston, Texas |
| S | Jai Edwards 1 | Tarleton | Sr. | 6-0 | 200 | Humble, Texas |
| CB | Aaron Simpson | Dixie St. | Sr. | 5=9 | 170 | Pasadena, Calif. |
| CB | Tyren Sams | Central Washington | Sr. | 6-0 | 180 | Bellevue, Wash. |
| P | Austin Toussaint | Colorado School of Mines | R-Sr. | 5-11 | 170 | Black Forest, Colo. |