The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Lone Star Conference championship with a 68-61 victory over Angelo State in the title game in Allen on March 7. The triumph gives the Lions their first conference championship in men’s hoops since 2005.
A&M-Commerce forward Darrell Williams was named tournament Most Valuable Player. The senior from Chicago scored 15 points and hauled down a game-high 13 rebounds to help the Lions win a defensive struggle that saw A&M-Commerce leading by the modest total of 20-18 at halftime.
In the second half, the Lions built a 14-point lead in the second half before a too-little, too-late Angelo State rally trimmed the margin to single digits. A&M-Commerce junior guard Anthony Adams caught fire in the second half when the Lions needed some added scoring punch and finished with a team-high 18 points.
“(Adams) did a phenomenal job in the second half,” A&M-Commerce head coach Sam Walker said. “I really got onto him at halftime about really finding his teammates and picking and choosing where he wanted to go with the ball. Things really started to flow when he kind of took control of the game.”
Williams got into foul trouble after collecting his fourth personal foul with just a little less than half of the second frame remaining. While junior post Craig Fofang filled in ably for an absent Williams along the baseline, Adams picked up on offense for the Lions.
“We went into the game with a good game plan,” Adams said. “They took Darrell in, so I had to, as a point guard, step up.”
Williams managed yet another double-double despite enduring an evening of smothering coverage from the Angelo State forwards.
“I knew that the double-team was going to come,” Williams said. “At halftime, coach was saying to make the open pass, so that’s what I was trying to do – get my team involved.”
Senior forward LaDon Carnegie also tallied double digits for the Lions, with 14 points – including a scorching four of five three-point shot attempts. Junior forward Everett Pleasant scored nine.
The Lone Star Conference championship assures the Lions of an NCAA Tournament berth. The seedings and locations for first-round games will be announced by the NCAA beginning at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 8.
A&M-Commerce (24-7) advanced to the title game thanks to a 53-51 defeat of Tarleton State on March 6. The Texans entered the game ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball South Central Region and seeded no. 1 in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. Despite losing to the Lions, Tarleton State is a near-certain entrant into the NCAA Tournament.
The Lions advanced to the semifinals following a 79-64 thumping of West Texas A&M in the quarterfinal round on March 5.
Angelo State (26-5) entered the tournament seeded no. 3. The Rams dispatched Texas A&M-Kingsville 83-73 on March 4 and followed that with a 76-53 rout of Cameron on March 6 to advance to Saturday’s game against the Lions. The Rams’ NCAA Tournament chances will remain ambiguous until Sunday night.
Notes from Lionathletics.com
- The Lions win their first Lone Star Conference Championship in a decade, and their fourth all-time. They have now taken home titles in 2015, 2005, and back to back in 1977 and 1978.
- Darrell Williams logged the 22nd double-double of the season with a 15 point, 13 rebound performance.
- LaDon Carnegie scored 14 points, shooting four of five from deep. It was the 19th time the senior has reached double-digit scoring this season.
- Anthony Adams scored 18 points, adding four assists. It was the 18thh time Adams reached double-figures this season. Adams, Carnegie and Williams were all named to the LSC All-Tournament team.
- The score at halftime was 20-18 in favor of the Lions. 18 is the lowest score the Lions have held an opponent to in the first half all season.
- With the win, the Lions are now 28-32 all-time in the LSC Tournament, and 5-3 in LSC Tournament games held in the Allen Event Center.
- This was the 88th game played between the Lions and Rams. The Lions improve their record to 46-42 in the series.
- Head coach Sam Walker moves to 250-179 overall.
- Anthony Adams, LaDon Carnegie and Darrell Williams were named LSC All-Tournament Team … It is the first time since 1984 when Tony Coger, Greg Johnson and Julius Poinstette were named all-tournament that the Lions have three players recognized.
- Darrell Williams named LSC Tournament MVP … From available records Williams wins the LSC Tournament MVP for the first time for the Lions since 1979 when Mike Williams was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
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