Cameron 65, A&M-Commerce 51
Location: Aggie Gymnasium · Lawton, Okla.
Records: A&M-Commerce (10-6, 3-3 LSC); Cameron (9-5, 5-3 LSC)
Up Next: at West Texas A&M · Wednesday, Jan. 16 · 8 p.m. · Canyon, Texas
LAWTON, Okla. – A&M-Commerce dug itself another early deficit on the road, only this time the Lions were unable to climb out of the hole, scoring a season-low 51 points in a 65-51 loss to Cameron at Aggie Gymnasium. A&M-Commerce falls to 10-6 on the year and 3-3 in Lone Star Conference play while Cameron improves to 9-5 overall and 5-3 in LSC action.
Preston Whitley once again paced A&M-Commerce with 15 points and four rebounds, but he was the only Lion to finish in double figures on the afternoon. Andrew Davis notched eight points while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds with Jason Smith notching eight points and six rebounds. Tyrie Wooten scored six points with four rebounds and a team-high six assists while Devondrick Walker added five points off the bench for the Lions.
Playing in front of a crowd of over 1,100 at Aggie Gym, the Lions struggled to find their shooting touch all afternoon. A&M-Commerce shot just 28.8 percent from the floor, including hitting just three of its 16 three-point attempts (18.8 percent) and made 14-of-20 attempts from the free throw line. The second half proved to be the difference as the Lions made just eight of their 32 field goal attempts (25.0 percent) while going 0-for-7 from three-point range.
A&M-Commerce has been plagued with slow starts in each of its last four games, and Saturday afternoon was no different as Cameron raced out to an early 10-0 lead through the first two minutes, setting the tone for the afternoon. It was a lead the Aggies wouldn't relinquish, although A&M-Commerce would make the Aggies sweat at times.
The Lions would slowly chip away at the Cameron advantage as a three-pointer by Wooten with 1:32 remaining in the opening half would cut the Aggie lead to just one at 28-27. But Cameron would swing momentum back in its favor right before the half, outscoring A&M-Commerce 5-1 over the final 90 seconds, including a jumper with seven seconds remaining to take a 33-28 lead into the half.
Cameron's momentum carried into the second half as the Aggies used a jumper and a three-pointer in the opening minutes to push their lead back to 10 at 38-28. From that point on, A&M-Commerce never really threatened, pulling to within six on a pair of occasions, the last of which came at 55-49. But the Aggies, who were coming off a big victory at Tarleton State Wednesday, showed why they are tough to beat on their home court, outscoring A&M-Commerce 10-2 down the stretch to seal the 65-51 victory.
The win is the third-straight for the Aggies over the Lions in Lawton as Cameron cuts into the Lions' 23-19 lead in the all-time series. Three players finished in double figures for Cameron, led by 19 points for Andrew Thomas. Tim Johnson finished with 12 while Asaad Robinson contributed 11 in the victory as the Aggies won their fifth-straight Lone Star Conference game.
A&M-Commerce remains on the road and looks to get back to its winning ways when the Lions travel to Canyon on Wednesday, January 16th for a showdown with West Texas A&M. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 8 p.m. with full coverage (audio, video, stats) available at LionAthletics.com.
