Commerce, Texas –LaDon Carnegie recorded his 10th 20-point game of his Lion career with 23 points on the heels a 19-point second half performance in a 91-61 rout of Henderson State in The Field House Friday night.
 
The Lions improve their season record to 9-2 overall and extend their winning streak to seven games heading into the Christmas break.
 
Carnegie and the Lions started slow with A&M-Commerce taking a 38-32 lead into the half.  A&M-Commerce struggled from the field shooting only 35 percent in the first stanza, while Henderson State shot 44 percent from the field.  Carnegie was 2-for-5 in the first frame with only four points.
 
However, eight minutes into the second half the Lions pushed the lead out to 20 points, 59-39, on a pair of Carnegie free throws.  The Lions and Carnegie continued to push the pace en route the 30-point, 91-61, win.
 
A&M-Commerce heated up in the second half shooting 50 percent in the final 20 minutes to pull its shooting percentage up to 43 percent for the game.  The Lions defense clamped down in the second half for the second straight game limiting the Reddies to 37 percent in the half as Henderson State ended at 40 percent overall.  The two teams each shot 40 percent from behind the 3-point arc.
 
The defensive pressure force the Reddies into 22 turnovers leading to 30 Lion points, while A&M-Commerce handed the ball over only 13 times lead to 16 Henderson State points.  The Lions 18 steals is the highest team output in three years.
 
The Lions, who are ranked first in the NCAA in free throws made and second in free throws attempted, continued their trend of attempting more free throws than their opponents shoot for the eighth time this season and seventh straight game.  A&M-Commerce went 25-of-33 from the charity stripe for 76 percent while Henderson State made seven of their 12 attempts from the line.
 
The A&M-Commerce bigs dominated the game scoring 44 points in the paint compared to 24 from Henderson State.  On the glass, the Lions grabbed 51 rebounds including 22 offensive boards.  The Reddies pulled down 30 rebounds and 10 on the offensive glass.  The Lions used their offensive rebound advantage to score 26 second chance points.
 
Carnegie led all scorers with his 23-point performance finishing 7-of-15 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Carnegie also collected his first double-double of the season and third of his career.  Darrell Williams collected his team-leading seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds.  Williams entered the game ranked fourth in nation in double-doubles.  Anthony Adams flirted with a triple-double with 13 points, eight assists and six steals.
 
Micah Walker led the Reddies with 18 points highlighted by four triples.  Kevin Kozan, who entered the game averaging 17 points on the last five games for Henderson State, was limited to just 12 points.  Rashad Perkins followed with 10 points.
 
The Lions will take the next two weeks off for the holidays before opening Lone Star Conference play at Midwestern State on Saturday, January 3 with tipoff set for 6 p.m.
 
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