McNeese downs Lion Men's Basketball, 79-78, in SLC Tournament First Round

McNeese downs Lion Men's Basketball, 79-78, in SLC Tournament First Round | https://lionathletics.com/

By East DFW News reports

Mar 16, 2023

McNeese downs Lion Men's Basketball, 79-78, in SLC Tournament First Round

One free throw separated the fifth seeded Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team and eighth seeded McNeese on Sunday evening in the Legacy Center, with the homestanding Cowboys taking a 79-78 win in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament and ending the Lions' inaugural season in NCAA Division I.

The Lions finish with a record of 13-20 in their first season in the Southland and NCAA Division I. After being picked seventh in the preseason, the Lions finished fifth in conference play and played 23 true road games.

McNeese moves on to face fourth seeded Nicholls in the quarterfinals on Monday evening.

There was a total of 16 lead changes in the game with neither side leading by more than seven points. With 3:34 left in the game, the score was level at 70, but McNeese scored the next six to take a 76-70 lead.

The Lions tied the game at 78 with 26 seconds left on a three pointer by C.J. Roberts (Irving – Richland), who scored the final 10 points in the game for the Lions. The Cowboys held the ball until less than three seconds left and Donovan Oday was fouled with just 2.2 seconds left in the act of shooting. He made the first free throw and missed the second, but it was rebounded by the Cowboys, thus ending the game.

McNeese had the lead for 22 minutes and 15 seconds on Sunday and dressed just seven players for the game. There were three ties early in the game and the Cowboys led by as much as seven, as the Lions did not have their first lead of the game until the 4:46 mark of the first half on a three pointer by Khaliq Abdul-Mateen.

The lead went back-and-forth for the rest of the half and the game was tied at 35 at the break. In the second half, neither side had a two-possession lead until a three pointer with 8:18 left by JJ Romer Rosario (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.) gave A&M-Commerce a 63-58 lead, which the Cowboys fought back to lead 68-67 with 4:36 to go.

Roberts, in his final collegiate game, scored 19 points off the bench. He was 10 for 11 at the line, drawing five fouls. Jerome Brewer, Jr. (Camden, N.J.) scored 17 and Demarcus Demonia (Fort Washington, Md.) added 13, both had five rebounds as well.

Romer Rosario scored 12, while Abdul-Mateen led the team with six rebounds and scored eight off the bench. Alonzo Dodd (St. Paul, Minn.) dished out team-best six assists.

For the Cowboys, who outshot the Lions, 50.8 percent to 45 percent, were led in scoring by Christian Shumate, who scored 28, while Zach Scott scored 19, and Johnathan Massie added 13.

The Lions won both regular season meetings over the Cowboys by two points each coming into Sunday. The 13-20 overall record this season, marks the first losing season for the Lions since 2012-13, when they went 14-15.

Along with Roberts, Sunday also marked the final collegiate games for Demonia, Romer Rosario, Alex Peavy (San Antonio – Smithson Valley), and Luka Vasic (Pirot, Serbia).