TAMUC – Sports

 

 

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Multiple records fall for Lion Track at Gorilla Classic.

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce indoor track and field teams had yet another solid weekend of performances at the Third Annual Indoor Gorilla Open, with nine qualifying marks, a Lone Star Conference record, and five school records falling.

Rashard Clark stole the show for the Lions again, besting his LSC record time in the 400 meters, while also notching a school record in the 200 meters. His 46.94 seconds in the 400 is the second-fastest time in the nation this season, while his time in the 200 is the seventh-best in the country this season.

The 60-meter hurdle school records fell on both the women’s and men’s side, as Julie Seigerroth crossed the line in 8.69 seconds and Dorian Andrews crossed the line in 8.05 seconds. Both of those are the second-best time in the Lone Star Conference this season. Andrews broke the school record in each of the three phases (preliminaries, qualifying, and finals) in his first three collegiate hurdle races.

Kamryn McKee earned a provisional qualifying mark in the women’s 400 meters with a time of 56.60 seconds, which is the second-best in the LSC this season. Commerce native D’Lance Sharp also earned a provisional qualifying mark in the men’s 200 meters with a time of 21.72 seconds.

Laura Alicke set the school record in the women’s 3,000 meters with a time of 10:28.18. The other three that met the provisional qualifying standard in their event were Hailey Wanoreck in the women’s weight throw, Hudson Hall in the men’s pole vault, and DeVontae Steele in the men’s triple jump. The three did have better marks earlier in the season.

The Lions have one more regular season event, traveling to Lubbock for the Texas Tech Matador Qualifier on Friday, February 16. The Lone Star Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships will be in Lubbock on February 24 and 25.

AUTOMATIC QUALIFYING MARKS

Men’s 400m

Rashard Clark

46.94

PROVISIONAL QUALIFYING MARKS

Women’s Weight Throw	Hailey Wanoreck	17.08m *
Men’s Pole Vault	Hudson Hall	4.88m *
Men’s Triple Jump	DeVontae Steele	15.33m *
Women’s 60m Hurdles	Julia Seigerroth	8.69
Men’s 60m Hurdles	Dorian Andrews	8.05
Men’s 200m	Rashard Clark	21.49
Men’s 200m	D’Lance Sharp	21.72
Women’s 400m	Kamryn McKee	56.60

LSC RECORDS

Men’s 400m

Rashard Clark

46.94

SCHOOL RECORDS

Women’s 60m Hurdles	Julia Seigerroth	8.69 (tied)
Men’s 60m Hurdles	Dorian Andrews	8.05
Men’s 200m	Rashard Clark	21.49
Men’s 400m	Rashard Clark	46.94
Women’s 3000m	Laura Alicke	10:28.18

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Lions battle back from a first-half deficit to take an 81-78 win at A&M-Kingsville.

KINGSVILLE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team battled back from a 13-point first half deficit to earn a hard-fought 81-78 win over Texas A&M University-Kingsville in the Steinke Center on Saturday afternoon.

A&M-Commerce is now 16-8 overall and 12-4 in the Lone Star Conference, while A&M-Kingsville falls to 6-18 overall and 3-13 in the league.

The Lions complete their five-game Lone Star Conference road trip at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Tarleton State.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Princess Davis led the Lions with 25 points, also passing out five assists with two steals.
– Brianna Wise scored 23 points with four rebounds and two steals.
– Jenna Price recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Courtney Fields also passed out five assists.
– The Lions shot 43.8 percent from the floor (28-of-64) in the contest and made 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) of their three-point attempts.
– A&M-Kingsville shot 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) from three-point range.
– The Lions made 17-of-23 free throws (73.9 percent), with all of those coming in the second half.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions scored the game’s opening bucket before a five-point Javelina run. Ransom scored two straight baskets to put the Lions up 6-5 with seven minutes left. After a Kingsville basket, Davis went on a personal six-point run to give the Lions a 12-7 lead. The Javelinas’ Brynae Thompson hit consecutive three-pointers to give the hosts a brief lead and the game was tied going into the final minute of the quarter. Davis hit a straightaway three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lions an 18-15 lead after the first 10 minutes.

A&M-Commerce led 20-17 with 8:38 left in the half when the Javelinas went on a 12-point rally. The Lions were held scoreless for four minutes until Jocelyn Pierce’s mid-range jumper at the 4:42 mark. A&M-Kingsville scored the next six points to push its lead to 13 points at 35-22 with three minutes left.

Davis canned a triple and Wise made treys on consecutive possessions to narrow the deficit to six points at 37-31 in the final minute, but Kingsville’s Shaq Debose hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it a 40-31 lead at the break for the Javelinas. A&M-Kingsville shot 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from the floor in half, while the Lions shot 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from the field and did not make it to the free throw line in the first 20 minutes.

From the massive deficit, the Lions roared back quickly. A Ransom three-point play, a Lauren Parker jumper, and a Davis three-pointer cut the Javelina lead down to one point at 40-39 in just under three minutes. A&M-Kingsville was unable to convert on a two-point field goal in the third quarter and struggled with fouls, allowing the Lions to do damage at the charity stripe.

Davis’ three-pointer at the 3:36 mark of the period tied the game at 49-all, and the Lions took the lead on a pair of Price free throws with three-tenths of a second on the clock, giving A&M-Commerce the 57-55 lead with 10 minutes to play.

The fourth quarter started as the third did, as the Lions scored seven straight points to push out to a 64-55 advantage at the 8:54 mark. The full-flip of the earlier 13-point deficit came at the 7:51 mark when a pair of Price free throws gave the Lions a 70-57 lead.

The Javelinas chipped away at the lead, with a pair of Thompson three pointers making it a 74-70 Lion lead with 3:24 to go. Price made a layup at the 2:48 mark to give the Lions a six-point advantage, but six straight Javelina free throws sent the game into its final minute tied at 78-78.

Wise quickly made a layup, and A&M-Kingsville missed two close-range attempts on its ensuing possession. A Davis layup attempt was short, giving the Javelinas the ball with 10.5 seconds to play. The Lions rebounded Sadie Russell’s layup attempt, and a pair of Davis free throws with two-tenths of a second remaining sealed the four-point victory.

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Lions escape Kingsville with an 86-78 overtime victory.

KINGSVILLE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team went to overtime for the fourth time in the last six games, ultimately defeating Texas A&M University-Kingsville in an 86-78 victory in the Steinke Center on Saturday afternoon.

A&M-Commerce is now 18-6 overall and 10-5 in the Lone Star Conference, while A&M-Kingsville falls to 11-13 overall and 4-10 in the league.

The Lions complete their five-game Lone Star Conference road trip at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Tarleton State.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Point guard Reggie Reid, who shot 61.5 percent from the floor and made nine free throws, led the Lions by 27 points.
– Trey Conrod scored 18 points, including a critical three-pointer in overtime.
– Willie Rooks scored 14 points and had four rebounds with four assists. Aaron Horne scored nine points in the first half and led the Lions with seven rebounds.
– The Lions shot 51.0 percent (25-of-49) from the floor, including 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from three-point range. The Lions also made 27-of-32 free throws for an 84.4 percent rate.
– A&M-Commerce had a 35-24 edge in rebounds.
– The Lions shot 100 percent from the floor and the charity stripe in the overtime period.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions scored the game’s opening bucket before a five-point Javelina run. The Lions responded with a pair of Conrod free throws and a Horne corner triple to regain the lead at 7-5 with 17 minutes left in half. The Lions would not relinquish the lead in the half, though the hosts remained within two possessions for just under 10 minutes before a big Lion run.

A&M-Commerce led 20-19 with eight minutes to play and scored 11 consecutive points, as the Javelinas went nearly seven minutes without scoring. The first six of those points came from the free throw stripe. Horne canned three-pointers on consecutive possessions and a Willford layup with 1:07 left in the period gave the Lions their largest lead of the period at 36-23. A&M-Kingsville scored the final five points of the frame, and the Lions lead by eight at the break.

The Lions shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the floor in half and held an 18-12 rebounding edge. A&M-Commerce also went 9-of-10 at the charity stripe and made 5-of-10 three-pointers.

A&M-Commerce quickly pushed out to a 13-point edge with the first five points of the half as a Conrod three-point play and a Rooks jumper in the opening minute made it a 41-28 game. The Javelinas scored the next eight points to cut the lead back down to six points, and a 6-0 run by A&M-Kingsville gave the hosts their first lead of the half at 46-45 with 12:49 to play.

The Javelinas led 48-47 with 11:28 to play before the Lions netted nine straight points, with Reid scoring seven of those to give the Lions a 57-48 advantage with 8:31 to go. A&M-Kingsville responded with its nine-point run to tie the game back up at 57-all with 6:08 to play.

Both teams traded punches down the stretch, and a Conrod triple looked to give the Lions a needed edge, but one missed free throw for A&M-Commerce in the final 10 seconds nullified the advantage, and a buzzer-beater from half court was no good, forcing the extra time.

Conrod opened the extra period with a three-pointer, but A&M-Kingsville scored four of the next six points to take the lead. Reid erased the home side’s advantage with a three-point play to put the Lions up 77-75 with 2:38 to go in the OT period. Reid’s triple from the corner with a minute remaining put the Lions up four points, and Horne’s steal on the other end forced the Javelinas to put the Lions on the free throw line to attempt to get back into the game. The Lions made all six free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the victory.

 

SOFTBALL

Softball picks up two more wins in the opening day of Mesquite tourney.

MESQUITE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team picked up two wins on Friday. The Lions defeated Newman University 10-4 in their first contest and Oklahoma Baptist 2-1 in their second.

The wins bring the Lions to 7-1 on the season.

The Lions will continue their tournament with two weather-permitting games on Saturday. The Lions will face No. 10 Southern Arkansas at 10:00 a.m. and Lubbock Christian at 12:30 p.m. Both games will be at the Mesquite Girls Softball Complex.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Kinsie Hebler had three hits on the day. She scored one run and had one RBI.
– Jodie Hill had a two-RBI double in the second game. She had four RBIs on the day.
– Baylea Higgs and Vanessa Avina both had two hits. Higgs also had an RBI and a stolen base. Ciera Nunez had three stolen bases.
– Mariah Jameyson and Kayla Kilcrease also had one hit apiece. Higgs, Jameyson, Nunez and Kimber Neal all scored two runs. Monica Cherry also scored a run and had an RBI.
– Kinsie Hebler got the win in the first game, and Katie Dean got the win in the second game. Selena Rima saved the first game, and Emily Otto copied Rima in the nightcap.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 1)
The Jets struck first with a leadoff walk. The runner stole second base and scored on the double. NU then singled up the middle to bring another run across, bringing the Newman lead to 2-0.

The Lions answered back with an abundance of runs in the bottom of the first. Nunez and Higgs both walked and stole bases. Nunez had two steals, and on her second steal, the throw was wide and allowed her to score. Hebler then singled to drive in Higgs, and the score was tied.

The Lions did not stop there as Jameyson walked. The pitcher hit the next two batters, and the bases loaded. Hill and Cherry both brought in runs via walk. Nunez then reached on a fielder’s choice with a throwing error, scoring two more runs. Cherry then stole home to give the Lions a 7-2 lead after one complete inning.

Hebler retired the side in the top of the second, and the Lions brought another run across the plate in the bottom of the inning. Jameyson singled through the middle, and she moved into scoring position on a bunt. A sacrifice fly from Hill brought in another run, and the Lions led 8-2 after two innings.

The Jets scored runs in the fourth and fifth innings as the Lion hitters could not find space in the NU defense over the next two innings and the Lions led 8-4 after five complete.

Rima forced three up and three down in the top of the sixth inning, and the Lions scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Nunez reached on a walk and stole second base. Higgs then tripled into right center. Jameyson flew out to center for the sacrifice fly, and the Lions took a 10-4 lead into the final inning.

Rima made quick work of the batters she faced in the seventh, retiring them, in order, to complete the three-inning save.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 2)
It was a pitchers duel for the first several innings. Dead caused three ground-outs in the first inning to retire the side. Hebler doubled in the bottom of the inning, but they couldn’t bring her around.

Dean had a strikeout in the top of the second and again retired the side in order. The Lions were also taken down, in order, to keep the game scoreless.

The Bison had two hits in the top of the third, and a walk loaded the bases with one out. The next pitch caused a groundout that Neal threw home for the force out. A pop up ended the inning without a run crossing the plate. Avina doubled in the bottom of the inning but could not be around.

Dean did quick work of the Bison again in the fourth inning, and the Lions were able to get on the board in the bottom half of the frame. Hebler singled, and Neal drew a walk. Both scored on a scorched double from Hill. The Lions led 2-0 after four complete innings.

The Bison answered back with a run in the top of the fifth. A walk and two singles brought a run across. The Lions retired in order in the bottom of the inning, and the score was 2-1 after five innings.

The Lions brought in Otto to close out the game, and she did just that. She went three-up and three down in the sixth. After the Lions also went three-up and three down, Otto stepped into the circle in the final inning. She struck the first batter out swinging. After two singles, she then struck out the final two batters to get the save.

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Lions fall to hot-shooting Rams, 82-66.

SAN ANGELO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team saw a two-point halftime deficit disappear against a hot-shooting Angelo State University team, as the Lions fell 82-66 in Stephens Arena on Thursday night.

The Lions fall to 17-6 overall and 9-5 in the Lone Star Conference, while the Rams are now 17-6 overall and 8-5 in LSC.

A&M-Commerce now heads to Texas A&M-Kingsville to take on the Javelinas at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Lions shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the field, with a 25 percent (5-of-20) three-pointer rate. ASU shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58) from the floor, with a 13-of-27 (48.1 percent) three-pointer percentage.
– Reggie Reid led the Lions with 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
– Daquane Willford scored 11 points off the bench for the Lions’ other double-digit scorer.
– The Lions held a 34-32 rebounding advantage but turned the ball over 18 times.

HOW IT HAPPENED
A&M-Commerce led for the majority of the first half after Reid and Dorian Armstrong score two quick buckets to open the Lion scoring. From a 6-all tie with 17 minutes left in half, the Lions went on an 11-2 surge, with consecutive three-pointers from Trey Conrod and Willford putting the Lions up 17-8 with 13:35 left in half.

Angelo State hit three-pointers for its next three made shots and quickly narrow the deficit, and the Rams had tied it back up at 24-all with 7:36 left in half. An Armstrong triple and a Reid layup put the Lions back up 29-24 with just under seven minutes left. The Lions would score only five more points in the half, and Angelo State drained a long-distance three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Rams a 36-34 halftime edge.

The Lions made 13-of-26 shots in the half for a 50 percent shooting rate, but the Rams made seven three-pointers to A&M-Commerce’s three.

Joseph Williams-Powell made two straightaway three-pointers for the Lions in the opening minutes of the half, but the Rams came out of the chute on a hot streak and pushed their lead to eight points at 48-40 just under four minutes into the half.

The margin was still at eight points at 58-50 with 10 minutes remaining, but Angelo State went on a 10-point run in a two-minute span. Nine of those points came from the long ball, as Kiair Crouch made a trio of three-pointers. Those long baskets pushed ASU up to a 68-50 lead with 8:25 to go.

ASU would lead by as many as 20 points down the stretch. The Lions would go on short spurts to narrow the deficit to 15 points before the final 16-point margin.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Late cold streak foils Lions in 66-55 loss at Angelo State.

SAN ANGELO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team fell victim to shooting lulls at the beginning and end of the game in a 66-55 loss to Angelo State University in Stephens Arena on Thursday evening.

The Lions fall to 15-8 overall and 11-4 in the Lone Star Conference, while the Rambelles are now 17-4 overall and 12-3 in LSC play following the meeting of two teams who came into the contest tied for first in the league.

A&M-Commerce now heads to the Coastal Bend for a matchup with Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday. Tipoff against the Javelinas is 4:00 p.m. that day.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Princess Davis lead all scorers with 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including three made three-pointers.
– Brianna Wise netted 19 points as the only other Lion in double figures.
– Jenna Price pulled down 11 rebounds for the Lions.
– A&M-Commerce shot 33.3 percent (22-of-66) in the game but were limited to 3-of-20 (15.0 percent) shooting from three-point range.
– ASU had a 49-39 edge on the boards and shot 37.5 percent (24-of-64) from the field.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team shot particularly well in the opening half of the game, and the Lions struggled against the Rambelles’ zone defense. Davis netted the game’s first bucket for A&M-Commerce, but the Lions would then go nearly four minutes without scoring. Angelo State only made one of its first eight attempts, yet led 7-2 after the first four minutes. Davis made two more shots for the Lions in the frame, and the guests trailed 11-6 after shooting 21.4 percent in the period.

Davis drained the first shot of the second quarter for the Lions before a five-point Rambelle run had the home team up by eight points at 16-8. Wise’s two free throws at the 5:49 mark cut the lead to six points, but the ‘Belles would quickly stretch their lead to double digits on consecutive made shots to put ASU up 22-12 with 4:30 left in half.

The Lions responded with a five-point run to cut the lead down to five points at 22-17 with just over three minutes left in half, and Wise’s shot in the final minute made it a 25-19 game at halftime. The Lions shot 30.8 percent in half and turned the ball over 13 times in the first 20 minutes.

A&M-Commerce came out of the locker room with renewed vigor and a quick six-point run cut the Rambelle advantage down to two points at 27-25 with 7:50 left in the third quarter. Angelo State responded with its five-point surge to get back out to a seven-point lead. The Lions chipped it back to a four-point difference on a Davis triple with 1:14 left in the quarter, but a late Rambelle three-pointer made it a 43-36 game with 10 minutes to go.

The Lions fell behind by double digits in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. They rallied with an 8-3 and had the ‘Belle lead down to five points at 53-48 with 4:34 to go. The Lions had a shot rim out to cut the game to one possession, starting a cold streak that would allow the hosts to pull away. A&M-Commerce missed ten consecutive field goals and missed 12-of-14 in the final five minutes before scoring the game’s final five points.

 

SOFTBALL

Jameyson named one of Top 50 Division II Players to watch in 2018 by Schutt Sports and NFCA.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.– Texas A&M University-Commerce catcher Mariah Jameyson has been named one of 50 players to watch in the 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player of the Year Watchlist. The list was released on Thursday by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

Jameyson– a senior from Seattle, Wash.– led the nation in home runs per game in 2017 during her debut season with the Lions. For her efforts, she was named a Second Team All-American by three different organizations (NFCA, D2CCA, Fastpitch News), making her the second All-America selection in program history. Jameyson was also the first player in Lion Softball history to be named LSC Newcomer of the Year and was the first player to be named First Team All-Region. During the regular season, she also led the nation in RBIs and was top 10 in slugging percentage and total bases.

Jameyson holds the single-season school records for highest batting average (.407), highest slugging percentage (.868), most home runs (20), most hits (68), most RBIs (70) and most total bases (145). During the 2017 season, she had four games with multiple home runs, 18 games with multiple RBIs, 21 games with multiple hits and 12 games with multiple runs scored. She also was a proficient defender behind the plate, finishing with a fielding percentage of .963 and caught 13 baserunners stealing.

Jameyson is one of 29 players on the list to have been named an NFCA All-American. She is one of just five players from the Lone Star Conference to make a list. She is currently hitting .600 with 12 hits, 12 RBIs, a .636 on-base percentage and a .850 slugging percentage.

The Lions are 5-1 on the season after defeating St. Edward’s in their home opener on Wednesday. They return to the diamond on Friday for their second tournament of the season. They will play five games over the three-day tournament in Mesquite. Their first game will be on Friday at 1:30 p.m. against Newman, with games against Oklahoma Baptist, No. 10 Southern Arkansas, Lubbock Christian and Colorado Christian to follow.

2018 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division II Player of the Year Watchlist

Player	Pos.	Year	School
Courtney Barnhill	Outfield	Sophomore	Angelo State
Janessa Bassett*	Outfield	Senior	Dixie State
Erin Boone*	Outfield	Junior	Lenoir-Rhyne
Taylor Brandts	Pitcher	Senior	UVa Wise
Jessica Brown	Catcher	Senior	Cal State San Bernardino
Rosa’Lynn Burton*	Outfield	Sophomore	Wilmington
Jayden Chestnut	Pitcher	Junior	Central Oklahoma
Haleigh Christopher	Catcher	Sophomore	Charleston
Angelique Elemen*	Utility	Junior	Fort Lewis
Sara Ercolani	Second Base	Senior	West Chester
Julia Garcia*	Third Base	Senior	Cal State Monterey Bay
Haley Gilham*	Pitcher	Senior	Chico State
Brooke Goad	Outfield	R-Senior	Southern Arkansas
Ashley Hardin*	Outfield	Senior	West Texas A&M
Morgan Heard	Shortstop	Senior	Central Oklahoma
Brooke Hodgson*	Outfield	Senior	Colorado Mesa
Kala Holder*	Infield	Sophomore	Pittsburg State
Hannah Holland	Outfield	R-Junior	Humboldt State
Amanda Houck*	Pitcher	Senior	West Chester
Mariah Jameyson*	Catcher	Senior	Texas A&M-Commerce
Jamie Johnson*	Third Base	Senior	UNC Pembroke
Sara Keeny	Outfield	Junior	Kutztown
Kacie Kelly*	Second Base	Sophomore	Saint Leo
Carly Kingery	Pitcher	Junior	Missouri-St. Louis
Taylor Kline	Shortstop	Senior	Ohio Dominican
Jennifer Leonhardt*	Pitcher	Sophomore	Southern Indiana
Caitlyn Lloyd	Outfield	Sophomore	California Baptist
Brandy Marlett*	Pitcher	Senior	Angelo State
Brenna Martini*	Third Base	Senior	Adelphi
Jess Meidl*	Outfield	Senior	Minnesota State
Jessica Mohl	Shortstop	Senior	Valdosta State
Marisa Monasseri*	Catcher	Senior	Caldwell
Brianne O’Dell*	First Base/Outfield	Senior	Cedarville
Emily Price*	Shortstop	Senior	California (Pa.)
Christa Reisinger*	Outfield	Junior	Truman State
Lacie Rinus*	Pitcher	Sophomore	Carson-Newman
Meredith Rousse	Second Base	Senior	Saginaw Valley State
Jill Roye*	Pitcher/First Base	Senior	Southern Arkansas
Rhiannon Sassman	Shortstop	Junior	West Florida
Julia Seader	Catcher	Junior	LIU Post
Haley Simonds*	Utility/Pitcher	Sophomore	Newberry
Allie Smith*	Infield	Senior	West Texas A&M
Kylee Smith*	Pitcher	Sophomore	North Georgia
Sydney Sprague*	Shortstop	Senior	North Georgia
McKenzie Surface	Pitcher	Junior	Colorado Mesa
AnnMarie Torres*	First Base	Sophomore	Colorado Mesa
Hannah Vet*	Pitcher	Senior	West Virginia Wesleyan
Kelsey Vining	Outfield	Senior	Montevallo
Magnolia West	Outfield	Sophomore	Palm Beach Atlantic
Natalie Willis	Second Base	Junior	Newberry

 * denotes returning NFCA All-American