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TAMUC Sports

 

A&M Commerce
Lions set 14 provisional qualifying marks and six school records at Pitt State Invitational; Romero runs nation’s fastest mile.
PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce indoor track & field teams posted 14 provisional qualifying marks and five school records at the Pittsburg State Invitational on Saturday.

“The season is in full swing, and our athletes are starting to find their groove,” said A&M-Commerce Head Track & Field Coach George Pincock. “Luis Romero ran another national leading mark, Kellon Alexis broke his Grenadian record for the second week in a row, but the thing I am excited about, as well as the staff, is that the level of performance across the team is high. Most athletes are setting personal bests, or they are very close to it.”

These fantastic performances were led by Luis Romero once again, as the senior posted the nation’s fastest mile time this season at 4:06.64. Romero was also part of the men’s 4×400 meter relay, which posted a provisional qualifying mark of 3:16.64. Josiah Dennis, Aaron LeCesne, and Dedrian Windham joined Romero in the qualifying effort.

The women’s team had four passing marks, all in field events. Jasmine Roberts set a school record in the triple jump, with a leap of 11.56 meters. This effort is the second time Roberts has extended the school record this season in the same pit.

Alexandra VanSickle put up a provisional mark in the shot put with a toss of 14.07 meters. Remarkably, this is just one centimeter shy of her school record.

Anitial’a Robins earned a provisional mark in the weight throw with a throw of 16.64 meters, and Markie Abbott put up a provisional mark of 1.68 meters in the high jump.

Also set were three other women’s school records. Ashley Bassett set the 600-yard run school record with a time of 1:27.07. Maggie Waites set a new pole vault record at 3.43 meters, and the quartet of Jasmine Amo, Sarah Hogan, Maiya Collins, and Brandi Stalder established a new school record in the distance medley relay with a time of 13:02.92.

On the men’s side, six qualifying marks were put up in field events, with some of the familiar faces putting up big numbers.

Two men set marks in the weight throw, led by Chase Graham, whose toss of 18.32 meters is the longest in the Lone Star Conference this season. Kellon Alexis also set a qualifying mark, extending his Grenada national record to 18.01 meters.

Joseph Brown earned a provisional mark in the shot put with a heave of 15.87 meters.

In the horizontal jumps, Gage Bowles set provisional marks in the long jump (7.08 meters) and the triple jump (14.85 meters), while DeVontae Steele added a triple jump mark at 14.93 meters.

Two more runners added provisional marks, as Malcolm Woods earned his mark in the 200 meters at 21.81 seconds and newcomer Elliott Martynkiewicz finished the 3,000 meters in 8:24.11 in his first race as a Lion.

Additionally, Aaron LeCesne set a school record in the 600 yard run at 1:14.31.

The Lions have one weekend off before the final week of indoor competition before the LSC meet. On the weekend of February 9-11, the Lions will send participants to three different events in Frisco, Pittsburg, Kan., and Joplin, Mo.

PROVISIONAL QUALIFYING MARKS

Women’s High Jump Markie Abbott 1.68m
Women’s Weight Throw Anitali’a Robins 16.64m
Women’s Shot Put Alexandra Van Sickle 14.07m
Women’s Triple Jump Jasmine Roberts 11.56m
Men’s Weight Throw Chase Graham 18.32m
Kellon Alexis 18.01m
Men’s Long Jump Gage Bowles 7.08m*
Men’s Shot Put Joseph Brown 15.87m
Men’s Triple Jump DeVontae Steele 14.93m
Gage Bowles 14.85m
Men’s 200m Malcolm Woods 21.81
Men’s Mile Luis Romero 4:06.64
Men’s 3,000m Elliott Martynkiewicz 8:24.11
Men’s 4×400 Relay Josiah Dennis, Luis Romero, Aaron LeCesne, Dedrian Windham 3:16.64

SCHOOL RECORDS

Women’s Pole Vault Maggie Waites 3.43m
Women’s Triple Jump Jasmine Roberts 11.56m
Women’s 600y Ashley Bassett 1:27.07
Women’s Distance Medley Relay Jasmine Amo, Sarah Hogan, Maiya Collins, Brandi Stalder 13:02.92
Men’s 600y Aaron Lecesne 1:14.31
Men’s Mile Luis Romero 4:06.64

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Lions pull away late for 72-65 road win at Cameron

LAWTON, Okla. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team outscored Cameron University by eight points in the final four minutes to pull away for a 73-65 win in Aggie Gym on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions are now 15-5 overall and 7-4 in the Lone Star Conference with the win. Cameron falls to 13-8 overall and 6-5 in league action.

A&M-Commerce returns home for its next five games, starting with a matchup against Western New Mexico at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 2, in the Field House.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Four Lions scored in double digits, led by Malik Albert’s 19 points. He also added four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
– De’Andre Carson made four three-pointers on the way to 18 points, with two assists and two steals.
– Trey Seymore scored 15 points, and Montrell Little added 12 points. They both had six rebounds.
– Dorian Armstrong was massive on the glass, grabbing 19 rebounds, with 15 on the defensive end. He also added three blocks and an assist, as well as four points.
– The Lions shot 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the floor. Cameron made 39.7 percent (23-of-58) of its shots but made only ten two-point baskets compared to 13 three-pointers.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The two sides went back and forth in the first four minutes before the first Lion surge. Cameron led 8-6 at the 15:49 mark when A&M-Commerce went on a 9-2 run, going up 15-10 with 12:18 left in half on a Trey Washington free throw. Carson and Seymore each knocked down triples in the run.

An Aggie three-pointer briefly slowed down the Lion scoring before another run, this one eight straight points for the blue and gold. Albert canned consecutive treys and a Montrell Little layup gave the Lions the first double-figure lead of the game at 26-15 with 7:37 left in half.

Dorian Armstrong’s tip-in off of an offensive rebound was the only Lion field goal in the final five minutes, but the Lions were still able to take a 35-29 lead into the break.

Cameron made only four two-point baskets in the opening 20 minutes, and the Lions held a 21-19 rebounding edge. Armstrong had ten boards at the intermission, with eight on the defensive end of the floor. Albert was the leading scorer of the opening frame with 13 points.

Little scored a pair of baskets down low early in the second half to push the Lion lead to eight points at 39-31, but the guests weren’t able to pull away that quickly. Cameron battled back and took the lead at 46-45 on a Jordan Lewis three-pointer at the 11:24 mark.

Lewis made another trey on the Aggies’ next trip down the floor to give Cameron a 49-47 advantage. However, that two-point margin would be Cameron’s largest lead of the half.

Armstrong made a pair of free throws at the 9:19 mark to erase the deficit and the Lions would not trail again. The game tied at 63-all with 4:23 to go and the Lions’ defense locked the Aggies down, allowing only one more field goal the rest of the game.

The Lions would outscore Cameron 10-2 down the stretch, and a steal and dunk just before the buzzer by Albert would seal the revenge win for A&M-Commerce.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Lions edged late by Cameron, 96-94

LAWTON, Okla. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team held the lead through most of the game, but ultimately fell to Cameron University by a 96-94 count in a wild affair in Aggie Gym on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions fall to 14-6 overall and 8-4 in the Lone Star Conference, as the Aggies move to 8-10 overall and 6-6 in the league.

A&M-Commerce returns home for its next five games, starting with a matchup against Western New Mexico at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, in the Field House.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Krystal Pickron led the Lions with 23 points, as four A&M-Commerce players scored in double digits.
– Brianna Wise scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
– Artaejah Gay scored 13 points, and Jenna Price had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
– The Lions had a 56-46 edge in rebounding with 22 offensive boards.
– A&M-Commerce shot 40.3 percent from the field (31-of-77) compared to a 42.4 percent (36-of-85) rate for Cameron. The Lions were solid at the charity stripe, shooting 82.4 percent (28-of-34) on free throw attempts.

HOW IT HAPPENED
In a hectic first half, the Aggies took the first lead of more than one possession at the 6:09 mark of the first quarter at 8-4. The Lions went scoreless for 2:15, then went on a 10-0 run. A pair of layups by Courtney Fields and a Riley basket made it a 14-8 lead with 3:52 left in the frame.

The Aggies came back to tie the game at 16-16 with just under two minutes left, but the Lions did not concede a lead. A free throw by Jasmyn Poe with 11 seconds left in the quarter gave the Lions the 20-19 lead at the end of the period.

Cameron’s long range abilities provided a six-point swing for the hosts, as consecutive three-pointers put the Aggies up 25-22 at the 8:32 mark. A&M-Commerce took the lead back on a Pickron layup, a close range shot by Wise on the fast break, and three straight free throws.

Penina Faumui provided a boost into the second quarter media timeout. She scored a layup on the Lions’ fourth offensive rebound of the possession, then immediately drew a charge on the defensive end of the floor.

A 6-0 run for the blue and gold pushed the lead to 43-37, the largest of the game at that point. Wise drove to the rack and scored just before the buzzer to put the Lions up 47-41 at the break.

Of the Lions’ 47 first half points, the Lions scored 36 in the paint, and the Lions held a 29-25 rebounding edge. There were eight ties and six lead changes in the opening 20 minutes.

The Lions quickly pushed their lead to eight points before CU surged back. The Aggies cut the lead to just two points at the 6:10 mark of the third. A pair of Wise free throws at the 4:02 mark put the Lions back up by six points at 59-53.

Cameron chipped away and regained the lead at the 1:45 mark of the third quarter on a pair of free throws, but Fields immediately responded with a three-pointer. Gay’s three-pointer in the final minute of the quarter put the Lions in front by a 68-66 count as the teams headed into the final period.

The hosts were on fire early in the fourth period and charged ahead. A Cameron basket followed by a steal in the backcourt and putback gave the Aggies a seven-point advantage at 83-76 with just over six minutes to go.

A triple by the Aggies had the Lions down eight before Riley pulled off the same maneuver. Price scored a layup, then Riley stole the inbounds pass and put the ball through the net for what amounted to a four-point play.

The Lions had two chances in the waning seconds as Cameron made 2-of-6 free throws after a tie at 94-all. Khala Riley had a shot blocked down low, and inbounds play with the Lions trailing by one with 3.0 seconds left saw the ball sail out of bounds.

Cameron went to the line with 1.5 seconds left and a pair of free throws. Cameron made the first and missed the second. The Lions got the rebound but were unable to get in position to take a shot to win.

Head Coach Jason Burton after the game
His overall thoughts on the match:
“There was no question that they were going to make runs. [Cameron is] a good team that can score the ball. But we made our runs and were in the game. We fought. We played our tails off, and I’m proud of the effort from our girls. We were in a position to win the game, and I feel like we should have. But I don’t fault our girls at all.”

On the play of Krystal Pickron:
“Krystal played a fantastic game I thought. She played hard, she defended and did a lot of good things for us tonight.”

On Jenna Price as a candidate for Freshman of the Year:
“She is a lead candidate. But I think she is more than that. She is an All-Conference player. Especially when they expand it to three teams, I think she will be in position for multiple awards. She is definitely in the running for Freshman of the Year, but she has some stiff competition because Cameron has a pretty good freshman as well.”

On the play of Natalie Halbleib and Jamie Bonnarens:
“There were a couple of times where we left them open, we left them uncontested, and they capitalized. They stepped up and hit some big threes, especially in the second half. They were all big ones. They were all right when they needed them to extend the lead or to close the gaps. They are good players on a good team that can score.”

On his team’s turnovers:
“We didn’t do a good job of taking care of the basketball. The pace of this game told you there were going to be some turnovers. We like to play fast, but we turn the ball over too much at times. That was part of the reason why they went on their run. We need to do a better job of taking care of the basketball.”

On missing out on a five-game win streak:
“We’ve got the next five games at home. The thing about a loss is that you can keep people’s attention. They know that it was the little things in this game that cost us the victory. That elusive five-game win streak, we can still get it. We can get it at home. That’s what we have to make sure we do.”

On the importance of the five-game home stand on the horizon:
“These games are huge. We’ve got to continue to put ourselves in a position to control our destiny. We’ve got to take care of business at home.”

 

Josh Manck

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