Riverside, Calif. – Darrell Williams finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds, but none more important than rebound with 1.7 seconds left and game-winning free throws following a foul that sent him to the free throw line lifting A&M-Commerce (4-2) to a 68-67 win in the California Baptist Thanksgiving Classic over the host Lancers (4-1) Friday night in Van Dyne Gym.
 
A&M-Commerce trailed by six points, 67-61, following a three from Cal. Baptist's Michael Smith with 1:28. But the Lions outscored the Lancers 7-0, including five points from Anthony Adams, who finished with Lion team-high 18 points, to close out the contest and seal the win.
 
Following the Smith triple, Adams calmly drilled a three of his own to trim the margin down to 67-64 with 1:15 remaining.  After a defensive stop by the Lions, a missed A&M-Commerce three was kicked out of bounds by the Lancers giving the Lions another possession.  Adams was fouled on the inbounds and sent to the charity stripe.  The junior guard made both attempts trimming the lead down to 67-66 with four seconds remaining.  The Lions fouled the Lancers on inbounds play sending Gelaun Wheelwright to the free throw line for a 1-and-1 attempt. Wheelwright missed the first, and Williams was knocked in the head and fouled with 1.7 seconds left sending the senior the line for A&M-Commerce.
 
Williams converted both attempts and CBU's game-winning half court heave attempt was off the mark completing the improbable road comeback for the Lions.
 
Williams was spectacular for A&M-Commerce as the senior forward has now recorded double-doubles in four of the first six games in the 2014-15 season.  His 17-rebound performance Friday night is his second 15-plus rebound game of the season.  Since the 2002-03 season, two separate A&M-Commerce players have only grabbed 15-plus rebounds in two different games once in the same season, and Williams has now accomplished that feat alone.  Thadeus Daggett had 15 rebounds against Angelo State on February 8, 2003 and earlier that same season, Micah Reed hauled in 18 boards at Tarleton State on January 11, 2003.  Only three players have recorded one game with 15 or more rebounds counting Daggett and Reed since the 2002-03 season.  Rashad Brown was the third player after being credited with 15 rebounds at St. Edward's on December 30, 2007.
 
Williams also continues to shoot at a blistering pace on the season as his field goal percentage holds at 50 percent following Friday's 6-of-10 performance.  Adams was efficient for the Lions as well after converting five of his 10 shots from the floor and a 7-of-8 mark from the charity stripe.   Adams came up big the Lions down the stretch scoring 10 of his 17 points in the second half thwarting the Lancers hope for a 5-0 start to the season.
 
A&M-Commerce held host Cal. Baptist in check early limiting the Lancers to just a 21 percent mark from the field in the first half, while the Lions, who held a 36-27 halftime lead, shot 42 percent from the floor.  However, the Lancers used an onslaught of threes, 8-of-23, in the second stanza to battle back in the second half.  CBU finished 13-of-50 from long range for 26 percent.  Conversely, the Lions attempted only 13 treys with four makes for 30 percent.
 
With the Lancers launching up three-pointers, the Lions dominated scoring in the paint to a tune of 26-12.  A&M-Commerce also controlled the boards with 52 rebounds compared to 44 for CBU. 
 
"We had to persevere to earn that win tonight," A&M-Commerce head coach Sam Walker said.  "We were locked in all game, especially on the defensive side.  This was the best we have looked this season executing the scouting report, and in the end we just finished with one more point than they did."
 
Christian Macauley notched his third double-digit scoring game in the five games he has seen action in after finishing with 10 points including two back-to-back highlight reel slams in the first half for the Lions.
 
Trevone Williams paced the Lancers with 19 points after going 7-of-20 overall including 4-of-14 from behind the arc.  Williams completed his double-double bid with 12 rebounds.  Ryan Berg chipped in 15 points for CBU in the loss.
 
The Lions will play their final game of the Cal. Baptist Thanksgiving Classic Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. central against Dixie State, who won its opener 76-54 over Cal. State-Stanislaus.  The Red Storm are 2-1 so far in the 2014-15 season.
 
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