Commerce, Texas – In his first action of the season, A&M-Commerce's LaDon Carnegie poured in a game-high 20 points to lead all scorers, but the Lions could not overcome a physical Tiger defense as Ouachita Baptist picked up the 87-83 win Thursday night in Vining Arena.
 
In the first three game of the 2014-15 season, the Lions have had at least one scorer tally 20 or more points following Carnegie's 7-of-16 shooting performance including a 4-of-9 display for long range to earn his 20 points.  Darrell Williams, who scored 20 plus points in the first two games, followed with 16 points and 15 rebounds – a mark that hasn't been matched in the last three seasons.  Anthony Adams made six of his seven shots with two threes and a 4-of-5 mark from the free throw line earning an efficient 18 points.  He also handed out a game-high four assists.
 
The Lions struggled with the Tigers psychical style of play that resulted in 20 A&M-Commerce turnovers that led to 19 Ouachita Baptist points.  Conversely, the Tigers handed the ball over only nine times resulting in 12 Lion points.
 
A&M-Commerce entered the game with a plus 13.5 in rebounds and will see the margin rise after outrebounding OBU 44-26.  Led by Carnegie's 20 points, A&M-Commerce's bench held a 36-7 scoring advantage with the Tigers starting five accounting for accounting for 80 points.
 
Justin McCleary and Tirrell Brown led the Tigers with 17 points each, while Micah Delph and David Berete followed with 16 points apiece for OBU. Colt Fason was the fifth Tiger starter, and he poured in 14 points. Brown scored his 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor including a 5-for-5 mark from the free throw line.
 
OBU came out of the gate with a 10-0 lead through the first four minutes of action before the Lions got on the scoreboard with a triple from Carnegie.  The Tigers held the lead until the Lions whittled an eight point deficit, 36-28, down to two point, 37-35, over the final 2:37 of the first half highlighted by an Adams three-pointer right before the buzzer.
 
The Lions carried the momentum into the early stages of the second half as A&M-Commerce built an eight point lead, 47-39, following a 12-0 run capped off by a pair of De'Andre Carson free throws with 15:47 showing on the clock.  However, OBU regained its composure and flipped a 51-43 deficit a minute later into 57-53 lead with 12 minutes left highlighted by a pair of McCleary threes.
 
The two teams saw two ties and a Lion one point lead, 65-64, over the next four minutes before the Tigers took a five lead, 70-65, after two huge Delph triples.  It was a lead OBU would not relinquish over the five six and half minutes en route to the 87-83 win.
 
Delph and the Tigers were clutch in the second half converting seven of their 12 three-point attempts for 58 percent as OBU finished 39 percent from behind the three-point arc.  The Lions ended 9-of-21 for 43 percent from long range.  Both teams shot well from the floor, while Tigers holding a slim advantage, 45 percent, compared to 43 percent from the Lions.  From the charity stripe the two teams were almost dead even despite OBU committing nine more fouls than TAMUC, 28-19.  The Lions made 26 of their 33 attempts for 79 percent, while the Tigers knocked down 25 of their 32 free throw attempts.
 
"Let's give them a lot of credit tonight," A&M-Commerce head coach Sam Walker said.  "They made some really big shots and some timely three-pointers. They made some shots at the end of the shot clock and were able to make free throws, as well.  They really deserved to win this game. If somehow we had made a couple more threes or a tip-in had gone here or there, I really thought Ouachita Baptist was the better basketball team tonight.  We have to regroup and learn from that. We play Satuday and Monday this week then over Thanksgiving holidays we play Friday, Saturday and Monday, so we have three games in five days and three games in four days over the next two weekends. We have to go back look at this on film and try to figure out how to improve on after this game."
 
Walker and the Lions will return to action with Saturday, November 22 at Dallas Baptist at 7 p.m. as part of a six games in 12 days stretch for A&M-Commerce.  After DBU, on Saturday the Lions turn around Monday, November 24 with Sul Ross State in the home opener in the Lion Field House at 7:30 p.m. A&M-Commerce will travel to California for the California Baptist Thanksgiving Tipoff Classic against Dixie State and host Cal Baptist on Friday, November 28 at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 29 at 7 p.m. respectively. A home game against Southern Arkansas on Monday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m. concludes the stretch for the Lions.
 
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