Box Score Northwood 75, A&M-Commerce 73
Trinity Christian High School · Cedar Hill, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (8-1); Northwood (2-3)
Up Next: at Dallas Baptist · Friday, Dec. 6 · 7 p.m.

CEDAR HILL, Texas – A&M-Commerce struggled to find its scoring touch all night, hitting just 28.9 percent of its shots from the floor and a mere five percent from three-point range as the 25th-ranked Lions were stunned by NAIA program Northwood 75-73 at Trinity Christian High School.

Little went right all evening for Sam Walker's Lions who finished the game hitting just 22 of its 72 shots from the floor and converting on just one of their 19 three-point attempts.  Both teams struggled from the floor as Northwood shot just 33.3 percent, including 31.8 percent from three-point range.

Four Lions scored in double figures, led by Kenny Brown's 17 points with four rebounds. Kameron Price finished with 15 points and eight rebounds with a team-high three assists while Christian Macauley notched 12 points and six rebounds with a block.

LaDon Carnegie was the final Lion to finish in double figures, posting 11 points with five rebounds as not a single Lion shot better than 45 percent from the floor all evening. A&M-Commerce did hold a slight advantage from the free throw line, shooting 65.0 percent to Northwood's 51.5.

The struggles started from the get-go as the Lions missed the first eight shots it took from the floor, allowing Northwood to build a 10-1 lead through the opening five minutes. The Knights would then push that lead to 10 at 18-8 near the midway point of the first.

The Lions began to find their composure and began to slowly chip away at the deficit. Using a 12-4 run spanning three and a half minutes, A&M-Commerce cut the gap to two at 22-20, then after a Northwood three pointer answered with an and-one opportunity of its own, knotting the game at 25-25.

But Northwood would pull back on top by five at 30-25 and maintained a lead for the duration of the first half, taking a 36-35 lead into the break. A&M-Commerce shot just 31.6 percent from the floor during the opening 20 minutes, hitting just 12 of its 38 shots and going 0-for-5 from three-point range while committing eight turnovers.

The second half started out in similar fashion as the first as Northwood took advantage of missed baskets and Lion miscues to use a 9-2 run and build a 45-37 lead through the opening three minutes. The Knights would push that advantage to a game-high 11 at 53-42 with 14 minutes to go as A&M-Commerce was unable to find any momentum.

Trailing 62-53 with 10 minutes remaining, A&M-Commerce began to make the second half run that has defined the team early in the 2013-14 season. The Lions used an extended 13-4 run that covered five minutes, pulling even with the Knights at 66-66 with four minutes left on the clock.

After exchanging baskets, Macauley picked up a key block, then converted on a pair of free throws with under two minutes to play, giving the Lions their first lead of the game at 70-69. A&M-Commerce would lead once more at 71-70, before reclaimed the lead at 75-72 with less than a minute remaining.

After Price hit one of his two free throws to cut the lead to 75-73, the Knights committed an offensive foul driving to the basket, giving A&M-Commerce the ball back with 19.7 seconds on the clock. The Lions had three final looks at a potential game-tying shot, but as was the case all night, the Lions just couldn't get the ball to fall, dropping the 75-73 decision.

As cold as the Lions were from the floor in the first half, it was even worse in the second as A&M-Commerce hit just 26.3 percent of its shots (10-of-38) and was 1-of-14 from three-point range as the Lions were stunned by the NAIA Knights, picking up just their sixth win in program history after staring the program in 2012-13.

The loss halts A&M-Commerce's season-opening winning streak at eight games, which will sit among the record books tied for the second-longest winning streak to open a season in program history.

A&M-Commerce looks to try and put this loss behind it as the Lions return to the Metroplex this Friday to complete the home-and-home series at Dallas Baptist. The Lions rallied to defeat the Patriots 72-66 at the Field House in the home opener as opening tip from the Burg Center is set for 7 p.m.