LIONS OPEN HOME-AND-HOME SERIES WITH TARLETON STATE SATURDAY
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarleton State (10-6, 4-5 LSC) | 33 | 37 | 70 |
| A&M-Commerce (11-8, 4-5 LSC) | 34 | 27 | 61 |
| Commerce, TX (The Field House) | |||
| Tarleton State | A&M-Commerce |
|---|---|
| Pts: FURST, Coleman - 18 | Pts: Preston Whitley - 15 |
| Reb: CARTER, Davene - 9 | Reb: Donavon Gage - 7 |
| Ast: GUY, Chuck - 5 | Ast: Tyrie Wooten - 10 |
| Team Statistics | Tarleton State | A&M-Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 38.5% (20-52 ) | 38.5% (25-65 ) |
| Rebounds | 46 | 35 |
| Assists | 12 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 10 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 13 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 16 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 5 | 11 |
| Bench Pts | 26 | 23 |
A&M-Commerce Lions vs. Tarleton State Texans
Saturday, January 26 • 4:00 p.m.
The Field House • Commerce, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (11-7, 4-4 LSC); Tarleton State (9-6, 3-5 LSC)
Live Video: LionAthletics.com (powered by Stretch Internet)
Radio: KETR 88.9 FM (listen online at KETR.org)
Live Statistics: LionAthletics.com
Twitter Updates: @Lion_Athletics
A&M-Commerce Weekly Game Notes (PDF)
Opening Tip
After a week-long hiatus, A&M-Commerce returns to the court to close out the first half of the 2012-13 Lone Star Conference schedule, beginning a home-and-home series with rival Tarleton State. The Lions host the Texans at the Field House on Saturday, January 26th, tipping at approximately 4:00 p.m.
Lions on the Web
Fans unable to make it to the Field House for this Saturday's game against LSC rival Tarleton State can still keep up to date with every A&M-Commerce basket. The showdown with the Texans will be broadcast live on KETR 88.9 FM with Charlie Chitwood on the call, while also streaming live online at KETR.org. Live video of Saturday's game will be available at LionAthletics.com, powered by Stretch Internet, with a subscription required to view the game. Live stats will be available at LionAthletics.com as well with Twitter updates throughout the game by following @Lion_Athletics.
Scouting the Texans
2012-13: 9-6 overall, 3-5 Lone Star Conference (T-6th), 0-4 road
Last Three Games: W vs. West Texas A&M (65-50); L at Eastern New Mexico (59-56), L at Midwestern State (50-34)
Head Coach: Lonn Reisman (Pittsburgh State, 1978). 25th season at Tarleton State (519-224, .698)
Key Players:
• #20 Coleman Furst (Jr., G): 161 pts. (10.7 ppg), 45.7 FG%, 50.0 3FG%, 76.7 FT%, 36 reb., 28 ast., 17 stl.
• #2 De'Andre Upchurch (Jr., G): 160 pts. (10.7 ppg), 39.3 FG%, 33.7 3FG%, 64.5 FT%, 30 reb.
• #4 Chuck Guy (Jr., G): 160 pts. (10.7 ppg), 35.3 FG%, 28.3 3FG%, 72.6 FT%, 54 reb., 63 ast., 19 stl.
• #22 Brian Word (Sr., G): 123 pts. (8.2 ppg), 39.3 FG%, 32.4 3FG%, 67.9 FT%, 70 reb., 17 ast., 23 stl.
• #40 Davene Carter (So., F): 115 pts. (7.7 ppg), 83.3 FG%, 44.1 FT%, 85 reb., 8 blk.
Synopsis: Tarleton State enters the weekend with a 9-6 overall record and is 3-5 in Lone Star Conference play, sitting among three teams tied for sixth. The Texans have been tough at Wisdom Gym, posting a 9-2 mark in 2012-13, but have struggled on the road as Tarleton State is 0-4 in road games. The Texans are coming off a 65-50 victory over West Texas A&M on Saturday which snapped a four-game Lone Star Conference losing streak.
Series Information: A&M-Commerce and Tarleton State meet for the 56th time Saturday afternoon as the Lions hold a 29-26 edge in the all-time series. However it has been the Texans that have had the upper hand in recent years, bringing a five-game winning streak into the Field House Saturday afternoon as Tarleton State is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings. A&M-Commerce's last victory in the series was an 85-67 win in Stephenville in 2008-09, with the last victory in Commerce coming in a 72-52 decision in 2007-089. Head coach Sam Walker has posted an 8-13 mark against the Texans in his career and is 4-5 against Tarleton State at the Field House.
The Week That Was
A&M-Commerce went 1-1 this past week, opening with a 67-53 loss at West Texas A&M on Wednesday. As had been the case in recent games, the Lions found themselves in an early deficit in the first half and were unable to complete the comeback. The 53 points was the second-lowest output of the season for A&M-Commerce as no Lions finished in double figures. Andrew Davis and Stefon Carson led A&M-Commerce with nine points each as Davis added eight rebounds as four other Lions finished with six points on the night. A&M-Commerce was able to reverse the trend on Saturday against Eastern New Mexico, racing out to a 23-4 lead in the first half then holding off a late Greyhound rally to earn the 84-77 victory, its 11th-straight win over Eastern New Mexico. Devondrick Walker led the way with 17 points for the Lions with Davis and Quince Jackson each adding 10 on the afternoon, complemented by nine rebounds for Davis.
Whitley Becomes Newest Member of Lion 1,000 Point Club
While the Lions suffered a defeat at West Texas A&M on January 16th, it marked a milestone night for senior forward Preston Whitley. The Frisco native finished with six points against the Buffs, upping his career total to 1,001 points and becoming the latest member of the Lion 1,000-point club. The 2009-10 LSC North Division Freshman of the Year, Whitley leads A&M-Commerce with 219 points this season, averaging 14.6 points per game while sitting second in free throw percentage (75.6%) and third in three-point field goal percentage (37.8%). He is averaging 10.9 points per game for his Lion career, suiting up in 92 games for A&M-Commerce, and becomes the second player in as many years to join the exclusive club, joining former teammate Brad Hambrick who accomplished the feat during the 2011-12 season.
Carson Emerging as Spark For Lions
When senior guard Stefon Carson rejoined the team this past season, it provided a spark the Lions had been looking for. Heading into the weekend, Carson ranks among the top-three on the club in six statistical categories, including leading the Lions in minutes played (533). Carson ranks second in points (200), points per game (11.1) and steals (26) while ranking third in free throw percentage (73.8%) and assists (52). The senior from Decatur, Ill., has also notched a pair of single-game bests, including his 26-point performance in the win at Southern Arkansas on Dec. 19th.
N'doye Electifies Crowd in Victory Over Greyhounds
Senior center Abdoulaye N'doye has emerged as one of the fan favorites in his two seasons in Commerce as the 7-0 center from Dakar, Senegal had his best outing of the season in the win over Eastern New Mexico. While he played just six minutes, N'doye recorded three blocks against the Greyhounds, then had arguably his most memorable moment in a Lion uniform, connecting on a perfectly timed alley-oop dunk from Devondrick Walker as A&M-Commerce pulled away in the second half against the Greyhounds.
Keeping An Eye on Allen
We are just over a month away from the start of the 2013 Lone Star Conference Basketball Championships at the Allen Event Center. The top eight teams from both the men and women standings qualify, beginning with the quarterfinals on March 6th and 7th, followed by the semifinals on March 8th and the finals on March 9th. If the tournament were to begin today, the Lions would be the fifth seed and would face fourth-seeded Texas A&M-Kingsville in the final quarterfinal session on Thursday, March 7th. Tickets for the tournament are now available by visiting the LSC Championship Tournament Central link at LoneStarConference.org.
A&M-Commerce Among Lone Star Conference Leaders
With the 2012-13 conference schedule reaching the halfway point, A&M-Commerce continues to rank among the Lone Star Conference leaders in a number of categories. As a team, the Lions lead the LSC in defensive rebounds (26.6 rpg) while sitting second in points per game (76.0), rebounding (38.4 rpg) and assists (15.6 apg), third in steals (7.5 spg) and fourth in free throw percentage (67.6%) and three-point field goal percentage (36.4%).
Lions Among Lone Star Conference Top-10
With the 2012-13 season back in full swing, a number of Lions continue to make their marks on the Lone Star Conference leaderboard. Five different A&M-Commerce hoopsters rank among the individual top-10 in eight different categories, led by Andrew Davis, who ranks first in defensive rebounds, third in rebounds per game and fourth in field goal percentage. Jason Smith and Tyrie Wooten also rank among the LSC leaders in a pair of categories as Smith ranks seventh in field goal percentage and ninth in offensive rebounds while Wooten sits ninth in both three pointers made and assist to turnover ratio. Preston Whitley (points per game) and Devondrick Walker (free throw percentage) round out the Lions among the conference leaders.
Looking Ahead
A&M-Commerce opens up the second half of the 2012-13 Lone Star Conference schedule, playing the second half of the home-and-home series against Tarleton State on Saturday, February 2nd. The Lions make the trip to Stephenville, tipping off against the Texans at Wisdom Gym at 7 p.m.
For the compplete weekly release, click the PDF link above
