East DFW News

Late run gives Lions a 60-58 win over Cowboys

A 10-0 scoring run in the final five minutes of Saturday's game in the Field House helped the Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team prevail 60-58 over the McNeese Cowboys.
 
A&M-Commerce sweeps McNeese in the two-game season series and has won three games in a row. The Lions are 11-13 overall and 7-3 in Southland Conference play, while McNeese is 5-19 overall and 2-9 in conference play, having lost nine a row.
 
The Lions scored first, while holding McNeese scoreless for the first 3 minutes and 47 seconds of the game. McNeese scored the next eight to lead 8-2. A&M-Commerce, trailing 11-6, went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead on an and-one by Kalen Williams (Augusta, Ga.) and did not give it up again until the 4:18 mark of the first half on a three pointer by McNeese.
 
McNeese led for 14 minutes in the first half, despite five lead changes, and led 29-27 at the half. The Cowboys scored the first two points of the second half at the free throw line, the Lions scored the next five to re-take the lead on a three pointer by Williams, 32-31.
 
Despite a scoring drought of over three minutes, the Lions fell behind by just two with McNeese scoring only three points in that stretch.
 
A 12-2 stretch over five minutes and 25 seconds gave McNeese a 46-39 lead, the largest for either team up to that point. McNeese led 50-42 with 7:29 left in the game, the Lions pulled to within 53-52 and took the lead on a tip-in by Demarcus Demonia (Fort Washington, Md.). The Lions went on a 10-0 run to take the lead and did not surrender it for the rest of the game.
 
Williams led the way with 14 points for the Lions, while 12 came from JJ Romer Rosario (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.), and 11 came from Jerome Brewer, Jr. (Camden, N.J.). Romer Rosario also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out team-high four assists. Demonia was held scoreless in the first half, but finished the game with nine points, two assists, two steals, and team-best eight rebounds.
 
Off the bench, C.J. Roberts (Irving – Richland) scored eight with three rebounds and Khaliq Abdul-Mateen (Cy-Lakes) added six points. For McNeese, Christian Shumate had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Both teams shot below 40 percent with the Lions outshooting the Cowboys, 39.3 percent to 32.1 percent. A&M-Commerce shot 12 for 13 at the line, it is the first time the Lions shot 90 percent or better at the line this season. 

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