Once again, A&M-Commerce used a second half scoring surge, spurred by 25 points from LaDon Carnegie and 24 from Devondrick Walker, to upend St. Edward's 96-87 at the Tarleton Texan Tip-off Classic in Stephenville. With the victory, the Lions improve to 5-0 on the season while surpassing 90 points for the third-straight game.
Carnegie and Walker both tied their career-highs for points in a game, leading five double-digit scorers on the afternoon for the Lions. Carnegie finished the day 5-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, while hitting 12 of his 14 free throw attempts to complement six rebounds and three assists. Walker was an impressive 7-of-10 from the floor and was perfect from both three-point range (2-of-2) and the free throw line (8-of-8).
Tyrie Wooten and Christian Macauley each recorded 12 points in the victory with Wooten notching four rebounds and three assists while Macauley recorded a team-high eight rebounds . De'Andre Carson notched 10 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists to round out the double-digit scorers with Kenny Brown pulling down seven rebounds to go along with his four points.
Fueled on by the victory over Bloomfield Friday afternoon, A&M-Commerce raced out to a 10-3 lead in the early stages of the game off a pair of three-pointers for Carnegie. But in setting the tone for the contest, St. Edward's responded with a 16-4 run, claiming a five-point advantage of its own at 19-14.
The Lions and Hilltoppers would battle back and forth throughout the half as the two teams combined for seven ties and six lead changes. St. Edward's appeared to be in control late in the opening stanza, building a 10-point lead at 43-33 with 3:55 remaining, but A&M-Commerce put together another extended run, outscoring the Hilltoppers 14-2 over the next three minutes to take the lead at 47-45.
St. Edward's hit a layup with five seconds remaining as the teams went to the locker rooms tied 47-47. A&M-Commerce shot 51.6 percent from the floor, including hitting five of eight from beyond the three-point arc (62.5 percent), compared to 42.9 percent for the Hilltoppers.
As the second half started, A&M-Commerce and St. Edward's exchanged baskets in the early going before the Lions began to slowly pull away as the half progressed. After tying the game at 55-55 with 15:30 remaining in the game, the Lions scored the next five points to claim a 60-55 lead – an advantage they would not relinquish.
The Lions took control of the game over the final 10 minutes, leading by as many as 10 at 82-72 with 5:43 remaining, then kept the Hilltoppers at bay as A&M-Commerce's lead never dipped below five. Carnegie put the exclamation point on the victory, notching a lay-up with one second remaining to give A&M-Commerce the 96-87 lead.
The 5-0 Lions return to the Field House this Wednesday, November 20th, taking on another Heartland foe in Dallas Baptist. The Lions are 3-0 against Heartland opponents this season, defeating UT-Permian Basin, Oklahoma Panhandle State and the Hilltoppers, with opening tip against the Patriots set for 7 p.m.