ALLEN– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team overcame a tough shooting night to defeat Cameron University 54-52 on Friday in the first round of the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament. The Lions struggled from the field but hit their free throws in the game to get the win.
The win brings A&M-Commerce to 19-9 on the season and advance to the second round of the LSC tournament The Aggies fall to 17-12 and are eliminated from tournament play.
The Lions return to action on Saturday as they take on No. 1 seeded UT Permian Basin. The Lions lost both games to the Falcons in the regular season. The game will begin at 8:30 p.m. at the Allen Events Center. If the Lions win, they will advance to the championship game on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Malik Albert led the Lions with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 7-of-17 from the field.
- Trey Seymore had 12 points and made 6-of-7 from the free throw line. He hit a crucial three pointer late to swing the momentum toward the Lions.
- Jovan Austin shot 7-of-8 from the line and finished with 10 points. Dorian Armstrong had 12 rebounds and four points for the Lions.
- After shooting 24 percent from the field in the first half, the Lions shot 39 percent in the second half. The teams were a combined 11-of-45 from the field in the first 15 minutes of the game.
- Though the Lions struggled from the free throw line in the regular season, the Lions shot 74 percent from the free throw line in the game. The Lions made 13-of-14 free throws in the second half.
- The Lions held CU to just 1-of-17 from behind the three-point line.
- There were nine ties and 15 lead changes in the game. The Lions did not trail in the final eight and a half minutes.
- All nine Aggie players got on the scoreboard. Trey Hall led the team with 12 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Each team made its first shot of the game but that was as good as the shooting percentage would get for either team. The Lions had turnovers on consecutive possessions but the Aggies couldn't turn them into points.
Both teams struggled mightily from the field in the first half. CU missed nine consecutive shots in a four-minute span after making two of their first three. The Lions also struggled from the field, missing eight consecutive shots of their own.
Starting at the 15-minute mark, the Lions had a scoring drought that last more than seven minutes. Cameron also continued struggled but went on a 6-0 run that took them seven minutes to produce.
The Lions finally got back on the board with seven minutes to play, breaking the scoring drought that lasted a third of the first half on a layup from Armstrong. Carson hit a three pointer with five minutes to go in the half that gave the Lions the lead back.
However, the Aggies hit four consecutive shots to push their lead to five with three minutes to play in the half. Trailing 19-14, the Lions scored five of the final seven points of the half to trail 21-19 at halftime.
Albert had eight points at halftime to lead the Lions. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Carson added five points for A&M-Commerce. No player on Cameron had more than four points in the half. Eight of the nine Aggie players that entered the game in the first half got on the scoreboard.
Albert hit a three to start the second half and the Lions regained the lead. The teams then went back and forth as the Aggies went on a 5-0 run followed by a 7-2 run by A&M-Commerce, including five points from Austin, that gave the Lions a one-point lead with 15 minutes left in the game.
The Lions then had another struggle from the field, going without a field goal for more than five minutes. However, A&M-Commerce got to the free throw line and it aided their cause. Carson hit a layup at the 11-minute mark and Seymore hit a three to give the Lions a one-point lead midway through the second half.
Austin came on late for the Lions, hitting his free throws and the Lions were in business. They made five consecutive shots, including a three-point play from Albert that gave the Lions a 48-42 lead with seven minutes to play.
The Lions hit another cold spell, going without a point for more than four minutes and the game was tied at 48 with a minute to go. Seymore hit a three to give the Lions a three-point lead before a quick CU basket brought the lead to one.
With 25 seconds to go, Albert lulled the defense to sleep and rifled down the lane and laid the ball to bed to give the Lions a three-point lead. A CU shot went wide and Armstrong skied for the rebound. Seymore was fouled and made a free throw to seal the win. A buzzer beater shot from CU was to no avail.