LION ROAD TRIP CONTINUES AT OUACHITA BAPTIST, SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&M-Commerce (9-3) | 52 | 44 | 96 |
| Southern Arkansas (5-4) | 38 | 50 | 88 |
| Magnolia, AR (W.T. Watson Athletic Ctr.) | |||
| A&M-Commerce | Southern Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Pts: Stefon Carson - 26 | Pts: DAVIS, Chris - 28 |
| Reb: Jason Smith - 9 | Reb: JONES, Nigel - 11 |
| Ast: Tyrie Wooten - 6 | Ast: DAVIS, Chris - 5 |
| Team Statistics | A&M-Commerce | Southern Arkansas |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 53.7% (29-54 ) | 44.6% (33-74 ) |
| Rebounds | 38 | 36 |
| Assists | 20 | 22 |
| Turnovers | 25 | 15 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 30 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 15 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 30 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 32 | 19 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A&M-Commerce (8-3) | 39 | 30 | 7 | 76 |
| Ouachita Baptist (6-3) | 36 | 33 | 13 | 82 |
| Arkadelphia, AR (Bill Vining Arena) | ||||
| A&M-Commerce | Ouachita Baptist |
|---|---|
| Pts: Jason Smith - 22 | Pts: MORRIS, Michael - 17 |
| Reb: Andrew Davis - 13 | Reb: FASON, Colt - 9 |
| Ast: Jason Smith - 3 | Ast: 3 Players (#32, #05, #01 - 5) |
| Team Statistics | A&M-Commerce | Ouachita Baptist |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 34.4% (22-64 ) | 47.7% (31-65 ) |
| Rebounds | 51 | 37 |
| Assists | 9 | 19 |
| Turnovers | 22 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 10 | 20 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 20 | 15 |
A&M-Commerce Lions at Ouachita Baptist Tigers
Tuesday, December 18 • 7 p.m.
Bill Vining Arena • Arkadelphia, Ark.
Records: A&M-Commerce (8-2); Ouachita Baptist (5-3)
A&M-Commerce Lions at Southern Arkansas Muleriders
Wednesday, December 19 • 7 p.m.
W.T. Watson Gym • Magnolia, Ark.
Records: A&M-Commerce (8-2); Southern Arkansas (5-3)
Radio: KETR 88.9 FM (listen online at KETR.org)
Live Stats: LionAthletics.com
Twitter Updates: @Lion_Athletics
A&M-Commerce Game Notes (PDF)
Opening Tip
A&M-Commerce closes out the 2012 calendar year with a pair of Arkansas road games and history potentially in the making. The Lions head to Arkadelphia to meet Ouachita Baptist on Tuesday, December 18th, followed by a visit to Magnolia to face Southern Arkansas on Wednesday, December 19th. Both games are scheduled to tip at 7 p.m.
Lions on the Web
Stay up to date with every Lion basket this week as A&M-Commerce travels to Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas. KETR 88.9 FM will carry the game live with Charlie Chitwood on the call. The game will also be available online at KETR.org. Live stats of both games against the Tigers and Muleriders will be available at LionAthletics.com with Twitter followers getting updates @Lion_Athletics.
Walker Reaches 200th Victory Saturday
A&M-Commerce Sam Walker reached the first of a pair of impressive career milestones over the weekend. With the 92-62 victory over Dallas Baptist Saturday afternoon, Walker upped his career record to 200-150, becoming the second coach in A&M-Commerce history to reach the 200-win plateau. Walker also ranks second all-time among career victories at A&M-Commerce, trailing only Jim Gudger (201-193) and needing just two wins to surpass his career mark and become the all-time winningest coach in A&M-Commerce history. Walker, who has the fourth-highest winning percentage among Lion head coaches (.571) with at least 50 victories, came to Commerce as an assistant coach in 1992 and served as an assistant coach under Paul Peak for eight years before being named head coach prior to the 2000-01 season.
Scouting the Tigers
2012-13: 5-3 overall, 2-2 Great American Conference, 4-1 home
Last Three Games: W at Arkansas-Monticello (65-63), L at Southern Arkansas (66-54), L vs. Southeastern Oklahoma (59-56)
Head Coach: Dennis Nutt (Texas Christian, 1986). Second season at Ouachita Baptist (21-15, .583); Eighth season overall (91-111, .450)
Key Players:
• #15 Austin Mitchell (Sr., G): 107 pts. (13.4 ppg), 45.0 FG%, 41.9 3FG%, 75.0 FT%, 20 reb., 10 stl.
• #23 Michael Morris (Sr., F): 85 pts. (10.6 ppg), 44.3 FG%, 65.2 FT%, 52 reb., 24 blk, 16 stl.
• #45 Colt Fason (So., F): 81 pts. (10.1 ppg), 54.8 FG%, 56.5 FT%, 41 reb.
• #32 Nigel Ramsey (Sr., G): 72 pts. (9.0 ppg), 40.0 FG%, 34.6 3FG%, 60.0 FT%, 32 reb., 40 ast., 21 stl.
• #1 Micah Delph (So., G): 69 pts. (8.6 ppg), 35.7 FG%, 34.7 3FG%, 75.0 FT%, 35 reb., 31 ast., 13 stl.
Synopsis: Ouachita Baptist heads into the weekend's game coming off a 10-day hiatus following a 65-63 win at Arkansas-Monticello, evening its Great American Conference record at 2-2. The victory snapped a two-game skid for the Tigers, who won four of their first five games of the 2012-13 season - the lone loss during that streak was a 69-56 defeat to A&M-Commerce at the Field House on November 20th.
Series Information: A&M-Commerce and Ouachita Baptist meet for the 16th time Tuesday evening as the Lions hold a 10-5 lead in the all-time series, including that 69-56 victory at the Field House on November 20th. A&M-Commerce has won three-straight against Ouachita Baptist, including sweeping the season series in 2009-10, as head coach Sam Walker is 7-5 all-time against the Tigers with a 2-3 mark against Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia.
Scouting the Muleriders
2012-13: 5-3 overall, 2-2 Great American Conference, 4-0 home
Last Three Games: W vs. Henderson State (82-72, OT), W vs. Ouachita Baptist (66-54), L at Southwestern Oklahoma (61-58)
Head Coach: Andy Sharpe (Reinhardt, 2002). First season at Southern Arkansas (5-3, .625); Eight season overall (173-73, .703)
Key Players:
• #4 Nigel Jones (Jr., F): 120 pts. (15.0 avg.), 53.5 FG%, 33.3 3FG%, 40.9 FT%, 66 reb., 7 blk.
• #3 Darrin Johnson (Jr., G): 97 pts. (12.1 ppg), 51.5 FG%, 40.0 3FG%, 81.3 FT%, 12 stl.
• #12 Daviel Clements (Sr., G): 77 pts. (9.6 ppg), 36.0 FG%, 33.3 3FG%, 85.7 FT%, 22 reb., 20 ast.
• #42 Tevin Worthy (Jr., F): 64 pts. (8.0 ppg), 56.6 FG%, 44.4 FT%, 45 reb., 10 blk.
• #15 Terrell Shears (Jr., F): 58 pts. (7.3 ppg), 48.9 FG%, 73.3 FT%, 34 reb., 7 stl.
Synopsis: Southern Arkansas heads into the week on a two-game winning streak, taking down Henderson State 82-72 in overtime and Ouachita Baptist 66-54 at home for its first two Great American Conference wins of the season. The victories snapped a three-game losing skid, which started with the 74-67 loss to the Lions at the Field House on November 26th.
Series Information: Wednesday marks the 34th meeting between A&M-Commerce and Southern Arkansas as the Lions hold a 21-12 lead in the all-time series, including a nine-game winning streak against the Muleriders. A&M-Commerce rallied to defeat Southern Arkansas 74-67 earlier this season at the Field House as head coach Sam Walker is 12-2 all-time against the Muleriders including a 5-2 mark in Magnolia.
Streaking Lions
Heading into the pair of games in Arkansas this week, A&M-Commerce has posted a six-game winning streak, the Lions' longest streak since winning seven-straight games during the 2005-06 season. A&M-Commerce has also notched five-straight victories at home, dating back to the 83-78 win over Angelo State in the 2011-12 regular season finale, matching their longest home court winning streak since a seven-game stretch during the 2010-11 season.
Change of Pace From 2011-12
One of the reasons for the success of A&M-Commerce in the early portion of 2012-13 has been its ability to take down teams from the Lone Star state. In 2011-12, the Lions did not record their first victory against a team from the state of Texas until a 75-72 win at Abilene Christian on February 22nd as A&M-Commerce posted just two wins over Lone Star state teams on the year. So far in 2012-13, the Lions are 6-1 against Texas teams, notching a pair of victories over UT-Permian Basin and Dallas Baptist as well as wins against Abilene Christian and Angelo State.
Lions Strong Against Arkansas Opponents
A&M-Commerce has found a great deal of success against teams from the state of Arkansas in recent years, a streak that has continued into the 2012-13 season. The Lions have won their last 13 games against teams from the Natural State, dating back to the 2008-09 season. During that run, the Lions are 4-0 against Southern Arkansas, 3-0 against Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist while posting a 1-0 mark against Arkansas-Fort Smith, Arkansas-Monticello and Harding. In his career against teams from the state of Arkansas, head coach Sam Walker has posted a mark of 26-9 (.743), highlighted by a 13-2 record against the Muleriders.
Walker Against the Great American Conference
A&M-Commerce head coach Sam Walker has experienced a good deal of success against the newly-formed Great American Conference in his 13 seasons at A&M-Commerce, posting a 63-24 record (.724) against current conference members. So far in 2012-13, the Lions are 2-1 against Great American opponents, knocking off Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas at the Field House with the lone loss coming against East Central at the Tarleton State Texan Tip-Off Classic.
• Arkansas-Monticello: 1-1 (.500). Last: A&M-Commerce 72, Arkansas-Monticello 69 (2008-09)
• East Central: 15-2 (.882). Last: East Central 71, A&M-Commerce 65 (2012-13)
• Harding: 1-1 (.500). Last: A&M-Commerce 82, Harding 67 (2011-12)
• Henderson State: 3-0 (1.000). Last: A&M-Commerce 85, Henderson State 81 (2011-12)
• Ouachita Baptist: 7-5 (.583). Last: A&M-Commerce 69, Ouachita Baptist 56 (2012-13)
• Southeastern Oklahoma: 13-5 (.722). Last: A&M-Commerce 83, Southeastern Okla. 51 (2010-11)
• Southern Arkansas: 13-2 (.867). Last: A&M-Commerce 74, Southern Arkansas 67 (2012-13)
• Southwestern Oklahoma: 10-8 (.556). Last: Southwestern Okla. 80, A&M-Commerce 72 (2010-11)
Looking Ahead
Following this week's games, A&M-Commerce will have a two-week hiatus for the Christmas holiday before resuming Lone Star Conference play on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 when the Lions host Incarnate Word for the final time at the Field House. Tip-off against the Cardinals will be at approximately 7:45 p.m. with live video, stats and updates available at LionAthletics.com.