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Andrews’ school record highlights strong final indoor regular season meet for Lion Track & Field.
PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce track and field squads closed out the regular indoor season Saturday at the Fifth Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic, hosted by Pittsburg State University.
Four student-athletes set or improved on Lone Star Conference-best marks, with one automatic qualification and school record, and three provisional qualifying improvements.
“I’ve said for the last few weeks in our team meetings that this group is really headed in the right direction, and I knew that this week would be good,” said Lion track and field head coach George Pincock. “We saw great performances across all event groups with great races on Friday night from Lamarion Arnold and our hurdlers. One of the highlights of the day Saturday was Dorian Andrews’ run in the hurdle finals, where he tied for third in the nation.
“We also saw several student-athletes set personal bests, especially in the women’s shot put. We saw good performances all over, which is exactly what we want to see headed into our final week of preparation for the LSC Championships. If we can go to Lubbock next week and repeat or improve our performances, we’ll be in a good place and have a chance to perform at our best.”
Dorian Andrews (Dallas – Skyline) was the top Division II finisher in the men’s 60-meter hurdles with the third-best time in the nation at 7.89-second, automatically qualifying for nationals and re-setting his school record.
Lamarion Arnold (Montgomery, Ala.) blazed the track in the men’s 200-meter dash with the LSC’s best time at 21.22 seconds, only one-one hundredth of a second back of an automatic qualifying mark.
Kiara Brown (Dallas – Carter) provisionally qualified for the national meet in the women’s 200-meter dash at 24.51 seconds, which is the LSC’s top time and one one-hundredth of a second back of a school record.
Josh Boateng (St. George’s, Grenada) extended his LSC-best mark in the men’s shot put at 17.35 meters (56′ 11 ¼”), moving into 12th in the nation in the event.
These top marks were the highlights of 16 marks that ranked in the top eight in the LSC.
It wraps up the Lions’ regular season, as they will compete in the LSC Indoor Track and Field Championships at Texas Tech’s Sports Performance Center in Lubbock next weekend.
TOP PERFORMANCES
– Men’s 60 Meter Hurdles – 7.89 seconds – SCHOOL RECORD – 1st in LSC, tied for 3rd in the nation – AUTOMATIC qualifier for nationals
– Men’s 60 Meter Dash – 6.86 seconds – Tied for 5th in LSC
– Men’s 200 Meter Dash – 21.22 seconds – 1st in LSC, 4th in the nation – provisional qualifier for nationals
– Women’s 60 Meter Dash – 7.70 seconds – 3rd in LSC
– Women’s 200 Meter Dash – 24.51 seconds – 1st in LSC, 11th in the nation – provisional qualifier for nationals
– Men’s Shot Put – 17.35 meters (56′ 11 ¼”) – 1st in LSC, 12th in the nation – provisional qualifier for nationals
– Men’s High Jump – 2.02 meters (6′ 7 ½”) – 3rd in LSC
– Men’s Shot Put – 16.06 meters (52′ 8 ¼”) – 3rd in LSC
– Women’s Shot Put – 13.07 meters (42′ 10 ¾”) – 4th in LSC
– Women’s Shot Put – 13.02 meters (42′ 8 ¾”) – 5th in LSC
– Men’s 200 Meter Dash – 21.98 seconds – Tied for 5th in LSC
– Women’s Long Jump – 5.61 meters (18′ 5″) – Tied for 6th in LSC
– Women’s Triple Jump – 11.62 meters (38′ 1 ½”) – 6th in LSC
– Men’s 60 Meter Hurdles Prelims – 8.35 seconds – 6th in LSC
D’Jiron Lilley
– Men’s Long Jump – 6.81 meters (22′ 4 ¼”) – 7th in LSC
– Men’s 800 Meter Run – 1:55.09 – 7th in LSC
Lions tripped up at Cameron, 67-66
LAWTON, Okla. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball battled back from a second-half deficit but saw two shots on the final possession go missing in a tuff 67-66 loss at Cameron University in Aggie Gym on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions fall to 15-9 overall and 11-7 in Lone Star Conference action with the loss, while Cameron is now 7-17 overall and 6-12 in league play. This is the first divisional loss for the Lions.
A&M-Commerce returns home next week for the final two regular-season home games. Next on the docket is Eastern New Mexico at 7:30 pm on Thursday, February 20.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Wayne Stewart (Philadelphia, Pa.) earned his seventh double-double of the season and fourth in succession with 14 points and 15 rebounds. He also added four blocks and four steals.
– Deonta Terrell (Chicago, Ill.) scored 14 points with nine rebounds and four assists.
– Alberto Moreno (Ingenio, Gran Canaria) scored 13 points to round out the Lions’ double-digit scorers.
– The Lions were limited to a 35.5 percent (22-of-62) shooting percentage and 9-of-32 (28.1) three-point shooting. They were successful on 13-of-14 (92.9 percent) of their free-throw attempts.
HEAD COACH JARET von ROSENBERG AFTER THE GAME
CLICK HERE for Coach von Rosenberg’s postgame comments
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first half, the Lions did not trail by more than one point but could not extend the lead into double figures. After Stewart scored to start the game, the Aggies would get out to an early 6-5 lead. Moreno made a layup, and Lara drained a three-pointer to give the Lions a lead they would not relinquish in half.
Neither side pulled away from the other until the latter stages of the half, as Moreno scored five points on a triple and a pair of free throws and Darnell Wright (Chicago, Ill.) hit two shots from the charity stripe to give A&M-Commerce a 35-26 lead with 3:43 to play. Cameron responded with nine straight points to tie the game, but Terrell’s late free throw gave the guests a 36-35 lead at the break.
The Lions shot 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) in the first half to the Aggies’ 48.3 percent (14-of-29). The Lion lead was greatly assisted by outside shooting, as A&M-Commerce made six three-pointers in the first half.
Both teams were cold out of the break, as neither side scored in the opening four minutes. A Cameron three-pointer gave the hosts the lead, but Moreno took it right back with a trey of his on the ensuing possession. The Lions still led by one point with 13 minutes to play before a 9-1 Aggie run over the next three minutes, giving the hosts a 49-43 advantage.
The Aggies’ margin would grow to eight points at 57-49 with 7:04 to play on a pair of free throws, but the Lion defense would hold its hosts without a field goal for over four-and-a-half minutes. It allowed A&M-Commerce to scratch its way back into the game, cutting the lead to one point at 59-58 with 4:21 to go on a Terrell three-point play.
A&M-Commerce’s usually efficient three-point shooting was struggling in the second half until the final minute of play. Terrell hit a shot from the wing with 58.2 seconds to go to tie the game at 63-all, and Leo Lara (Santa Rosa, Texas) gave the Lions a 66-65 lead with 38.5 seconds left with his long-range connection. Cameron made two free throws with 21 seconds left to take a one-point lead, and the Lions had two shots miss in the final seconds, and the Aggies earned the home win.
No. 3 Lions hold off Cameron 83-78, win the division title.
LAWTON, Okla. – The No. 3 Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team fought off a cold start to earn an 83-78 win over Cameron University in Aggie Gym on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions are now 24-0 overall and 18-0 in the Lone Star Conference and win the outright divisional championship with an 8-0 record with two divisional games remaining. Cameron is now 11-13 overall and 10-8 in conference play.
A&M-Commerce returns home next week for the final two regular-season home games. The Play4Kay game is next up with Eastern New Mexico visiting the Field House for a 5:30 pm tipoff on Thursday, February 20.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Lions shot 36.5 percent (23-of-63) from the field and made the fourth-most free throws in a game in program history with 33 conversions from the charity stripe.
– DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) led the Lions in scoring with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench. She went 12-of-12 at the free-throw line for the most made free throws without a miss in the LSC this season.
– Alexus Jones (Lewisville – Aledo) scored 12 points, and Maddison Glass (Missouri City – Hightower) and Agang Tac (Sachse) each netted 10 points.
– Another pair of Lions were just shy of their double-doubles as Juliana Louis (Long Beach, Calif.) and Alexis Bryant (Pflugerville) scored nine and eight points respectively, while each is grabbing ten rebounds.
– The Lions held an outstanding 57-38 rebounding advantage.
HEAD COACH JASON BURTON AFTER THE GAME
CLICK HERE for coach Burton’s postgame comments.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lion shooting was off target in the first quarter, allowing the home side to take an early lead. The Lions scored the game’s first five points on a Jones layup and a Glass three-pointer before the Aggies went on a 14-2 run over five minutes. The Lions went over four minutes between field goals before Tac snapped the skid with a jumper in the paint at the 2:49 mark. After Cameron’s run, the Aggies only hit one shot in the final 3:51 of the quarter, and the period ended in a 16-all tie.
Cameron opened the second quarter on a 6-0 surge, which was quickly erased by A&M-Commerce on baskets by Chania Wright (DeSoto), Bryant, and Dyani Robinson (Cypress – Langham Creek). The Aggies led 26-24 at the midway point of the quarter, but the Lions closed out the half on a 15-7 run. The Lions scored on baskets from Tac, Jones, and Kernal in the rally, but free-throw success was key, as TAMUC canned 11 of its 12 shots from the charity stripe in the second quarter. The Lions held a 39-33 lead at the halftime break, with 16 points coming from the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes.
The opening of the third quarter was key for the blue and gold, as A&M-Commerce started on an 8-1 run. A trey by Wright and a layup by Bryant put the Lion lead at 47-34 with 8:30 left in the third. They played evenly fair the rest of the third quarter, as TAMUC was able to extend the lead to 16 points and took a 14-point advantage into the final period. The 25 points scored in the quarter were the most of the day by A&M-Commerce, and the Lions went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line in the quarter.
Glass made a three-pointer on the opening possession of the fourth quarter to give the Lions their largest lead of the game at 67-50. Cameron fought back into the game, as the hosts’ next three makes were from beyond the arc, followed by an eight-point rally to make it a 75-69 Lion advantage with 2:55 to play. Bryant stemmed that tide with a layup, and the Lions went 6-of-8 at the free-throw line in the final two minutes to fend off the Aggies and claim the divisional crown.