TAMUC SPORTS

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Lions add five provisional marks, two school records, and three event wins on the second day of MSSU Open — LINK

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce, indoor track and field team, added five provisional qualifying marks and two school records on the second day of the Missouri Southern Open on Saturday.

FULL RESULTS

“This meet marks our first meet back since the winter break and the new year,” said Lion Head Track and Field Coach George Pincock. “We send the student-athletes away for nearly four weeks and trust they will train on their own. The results from the last two days prove that the majority of them did what was necessary to come back and compete at a high level. We had a national leading mark, a national (Grenada) record, several school records and provisional marks. I am very proud of this team, and the weekend we’ve had.”

The Lions picked up three event wins, led by Luis Romero, who earned a provisional qualifying time in the men’s 800 meters, winning the race with a time of 1:53.58.

Romero was also the first leg of the men’s 4×400 meter relay, which won the event with a time of 3:22.76. Erick Quiroz was the second leg of the relay, followed by Josiah Dennis as the third leg, and Dedrian Windham as the anchor.

DeVontae Steele won the men’s triple jump with a NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 14.69 meters. Gage Bowles was runner-up in the event with a distance of 14.35 meters, and the Lions took four of the top eight places in the match.

Alta Abbott earned a provisional mark in the women’s high jump, clearing the bar at 1.65 meters. Alexandra VanSickle notched a provisional mark in the women’s shot put with a toss of 13.65 meters. Florian Obst earned a provisional mark in the men’s pole vault at 4.70 meters.

Ashley Bassett tied her school record in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.93 seconds. In the men’s 600 meter run, Aaron LeCesne set a new school record with a time of 1:14.16, breaking the previous school record by 1.71 seconds. Also breaking the previous school record was Josiah Dennis with a time of 1:14.71.

Other notable performances included Devon Sanders’ runner-up finish in the men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.93 seconds and Austin Yaeger’s third place finish in the mile run with a time of 4:20.93.

The women’s 4×400 meter relay team of Kamryn McKee, Joy Spann, Verlencia Shaw, and Bassett was the event runner-up with a time of 3:55.58. McKee finished in third place in the women’s 400-meter dash at 57.81 seconds.

The Lions return to action next Saturday at the Pittsburg State Invitational in Pittsburg, Kan.
PROVISIONAL MARKS FROM THE WEEKEND

Alta Abbott	1.65m	Women’s High Jump
Kellon Alexis	17.34m	Men’s Weight Throw
Florian Obst	4.70m	Men’s Pole Vault
Luis Romero	1:53.58	Men’s 800 Meters
Alexandra VanSickle	13.65m	Women’s Shot Put
Devon Sanders	6.84	Men’s 60 Meters
DeVontae Steele	14.69m	Men’s Triple Jump
Luis Romero, Austin Yaeger, Matthew Brown, and Erick Quiroz	10:09.74	Men’s Distance Medley Relay

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

 

Four-point play propels No. 19 Lions to 104-103 double OT win over No. 10 West Texas A&M

COMMERCE– The No. 19 Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team eked out a 104-103 double-overtime win over No. 10 West Texas A&M on Saturday. The Lions converted a four-point play with 3.8 seconds in regulation to force overtime and did just enough to escape with the win. It was the first double overtime game for the Lions since 2007.

The Lions are now in a four-way tie for second place in the Lone Star Conference with a 14-4 record and a 6-3 record in the LSC. WT falls to 18-4 and 6-3 in conference action.

The Lions now hit the road as they travel to face Midwestern State on Thursday. The game will be at 7:30 p.m. at the D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Trey Washington hit a corner three with 3.8 seconds and was fouled, converting a four-point play to force overtime. Washington finished the game with 20 points, all in the second half. He shot 5-of-7 from downtown.
– Montrell Little led the Lions with 26 points, going 5-of-8 from downtown. He also had seven rebounds.
– Malik Albert had a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. He also had six assists and four steals. Albert made the winning free throw for the Lions.
– Trey Seymore scored 11 points and had four assists.
– Washington and Daquane Willford combined for 19 consecutive points in the second half after not seeing any action in the first half.
– The Lions scored 77 bench points and 50 points in the paint.
– David Chavlovich scored 29 points on 10-of-28 shooting. Jordan Evans had 24 points and ten rebounds.
– It was the first double overtime game for the Lions since 2007.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was back and forth to start as WT took a four-point lead before a 5-0 Lion run gave A&M-Commerce its first lead of the match at the 16-minute mark. Each starter made a basket for the Lions in the early going. Six different Lions scored the first six baskets.

The lead changed hands multiple times before the Buffs started to pull away starting with 14 minutes to play in half. They pushed their lead to nine midway through the half. Little had a hot hand in the first, hitting two threes early on to keep A&M-Commerce within striking distance.

The Buffs’ lead ebbed between nine and four for the next six minutes. The Lions cut the lead to four with three minutes to go before WT went on a 7-0 run to take a double-digit lead with a minute and a half to play. The Lions scored the final three points of the half to trail 46-38 at halftime.

Little had 16 points for the Lions in the first half, leading all scorers. Dorian Armstrong had six points and five rebounds.

The first 10 minutes of the second half were back and forth, with WT not giving much ground on their lead. However, the Lions started to get back in the game at the nine-minute mark.

Willford and Washington combined to score the next 19 points for the Lions as they cut into the lead. Washington caught fire from three, draining consecutive triples to give the Lions their first lead since the early part of the first half.

The teams traded baskets until the Lions missed a shot with 21 seconds, which would have tied the game. The Lions were forced to foul and fell by four. On the next possession, Albert tipped in a rebound to bring the lead back down to two.

The Lions fouled again and again were down four with 13 seconds to play. The Lions inbounded the ball and Albert drove into the lane before kicking the ball to Little. Little swung the ball to the left corner and Washington rose up and buried the off-balance three, and fouled with 3.8 seconds left in the game. Washington made the free throw, and the Lions forced overtime tied at 91.

The Lions scored the first four points of the first overtime. However, WT scored four points of its own to tie the game up with two minutes to play. The teams had multiple possessions down the stretch, but neither could find the net. The Lions had a chance to win at the buzzer, but the ball caromed off the rim. The teams went into double overtime tied at 95.

The Buffs scored the first point of double overtime, but that was the only lead they would have. Albert scored seven of the nine Lion points in the second overtime, including the game-winning free throw with two seconds left.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

 

Lions end 15-year home drought as they down West Texas 78-60, on a 16-0 4th quarter run

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team scored a 78-60 win over West Texas A&M on Saturday. The win broke a 15-game losing streak to the Lady Buffs and a 15-year home losing skid to WT.

The Lions now jump into sole possession of third place in the Lone Star Conference with a 13-5 record and a 7-3 record in the LSC. WT falls 13-6 and 6-4 in conference action.

The Lions now hit the road as they travel to face Midwestern State on Thursday. The game will be at 5:30 p.m. at the D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The win is the first for the Lions against WT since a playoff win in 2007. It was the first home win against WT since 2002.
– Four Lions finished in double figures. Artaejah Gay led A&M-Commerce with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including making both of her shots from behind the arc.
– Khala Riley had 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, including going 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
– Krystal Pickron had 13 points, going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Brianna Wise added 12 points and three assists.
– The Lions shot 45 percent from the field, knocking down one more field goal than WT.
– The Lions shot 85 percent from the free throw line, hitting 23 of their 27 attempts. WT shot 6-of-8 from the free throw line.
– The Lions caused 23 WT turnovers and converted them into 36 points. The Lions were plus-10 in turnovers for the game, giving up only 13.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions came out of the gates hot, scoring six of the first eight points of the game. The Lions were able to get two steals and turn them into transition baskets.

The Lady Buffs responded by going on a run. WT caught fire from a three-point range starting at the eight-minute mark of the first quarter. They knocked down multiple triples to take their first lead with six minutes to play in the quarter.

The floodgates opened as WT quickly brought their lead to nine. The Lions went through a cold spell, and the Buffs continued to drive inside and then kick to their shooters. They ended the quarter on a 20-7 run to take a 22-13 lead into the second quarter.

The Lions began to chip away at the WT lead in the second. The Lions were able to cause some missed shots from WT and get out in transition and get to the foul line. A three from Gay started and bookended the scoring, and the Lions were able to go on a 13-0 run over a three-minute span to regain the lead. Gay was also part of a three-point play that gave the Lions a two-point lead. Wise also made a layup while getting fouled to keep the Lions on top.

The Lady Buffs responded with a three to calm the momentum, and both teams battled for the next three minutes, and the game was tied with two minutes to play in half. The Lions finished the quarter on a hot streak, scoring the last six points. Pickron hit a three-pointer, and on the next possession, Natalie Hessong hit from deep to give the Lions their largest lead to that point, and they took a 39-33 lead into halftime. Starting on their 11-0 run, the Lions outscored WT 22-7 to close out the half.

Gay led all scorers at halftime with 13 points, shooting 5-of-6 in the first half. Pickron, Wise, and Hessong each added six for the Lions. The Lions caused 12 WT turnovers and turned them into 19 points. The Lions had just six turnovers in the first half.

WT shot 50 percent in the first half, but the Lions weren’t too far behind, shooting 42 percent.

The Lions had scored the first basket of the third quarter before the Buffs went on a 10-0 run to retake the lead. Lion turnovers aided WT, but the Lions held strong and withstood the run and kept the game close.

The game went back and forth throughout the remainder of the quarter. Neither team led by more than three. There were four lead changes in the quarter. The Lions retook the lead for good in the final minute of the third quarter, taking a 53-50 lead into the final period.

Riley and Wise each had buckets to begin the fourth quarter to give the Lions a seven-point lead. The Buffs responded to cut the lead down to just one with six minutes left. After a Lion bucket, the Buffs scored their final point of the game at the 4:43 mark. The Lions scored the final 16 points of the game, mainly from the free throw line.

 

Men’s distance medley sets nation’s best time to highlight three provisional marks on the first day of MSSU Open

Kellon Alexis sets Grenada national record in men’s weight throw

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce, indoor track, and field team set three provisional qualifying marks with an event win and a national record in the opening day of the Missouri Southern Open on Friday evening.

The men’s distance medley relay team of Luis Romero, Austin Yaeger, Matthew Brown, and Erick Quiroz posted a winning time of 10:09.74, which is the fastest time in Division II this season. With the flat track conversion, the Lion team posted the first NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark of the season.

Also earning a provisional qualifying mark was Devon Sanders in the men’s 60 meters. He posted the top time in the preliminary heats with a time of 6.84 seconds. This time is only .01 second off of the A&M-Commerce school record. He will run in the 60-meter finals Saturday.

In the men’s weight throw, Kellon Alexis earned a provisional qualifying mark with a throw of 17.34 meters. This throw is also a Grenada national record for the indoor weight throw, as Alexis broke his national record which he set three years ago as a junior college thrower at the same event.

Other top performances on the evening included Mackenzie Clark in the women’s triple jump. Her distance of 11.39 meters was just one centimeter short of a school record.

Ashley Bassett advanced to Saturday’s finals in the women’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.11 seconds.

The Lions saw two top five finishes in the men’s long jump, as Gage Bowles leaped 7.02 meters and Reggie Kincade jumped 6.72 meters.

Two athletes set personal bests in the women’s weight throws in Anitali’a Robins (15.84 meters) and Hailey Wanoreck (14.98 meters).

Three women set personal bests in the 60-meter dash preliminaries, and two men missed the finals of that event by .03 seconds.

The event resumes Saturday at 10 a.m. with field events. Friday’s results and Saturday’s live results are available at http://www.trxctiming.com/liveresults/meet2/index.htm.
Josh Manck

Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce