COMMERCE– The No. 19 Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team fell 84-61 against UT Permian Basin on Thursday. The Lions fell behind early in the game and could not recover.
 
The loss brings the Lions to 13-4 on the season and 5-3 in the Lone Star Conference. The Falcons jump to 13-4 and 5-3 in conference play.
 
The Lions return to action on Saturday as they host West Texas A&M for College of Business Fill the Field House in a matchup of nationally ranked squads. WT is 6-2 in conference play. The game will start at 4 p.m. at the Field House. Fans will receive free admission to both the men's and women's basketball games against WT.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Jovan Austin led the Lions with 18 points and three assists. He shot 7-of-12 from the field.
- Malik Albert added 15 points and five rebounds. Albert went 8-of-11 from the free throw line.
- The Lions struggled from the field, shooting 34 percent overall and 20 percent from behind the arc.
- UTPB shot 49 percent from the field and shot 38 percent from three. The Falcons also had 38 points in the paint.
- The Lions shot 75 percent from the free throw line, their highest percentage since Dec. 3.
- The Falcons had five players score in double figures, led by Daeshon Francis with 16 points. James McPherson and Johnnie Lacy each added 15 for UTPB.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
With the score tied at five early in the game, UTPB started on a 15-2 run. The Falcons used the three-ball to their advantage as they made four of their first six shots from behind the arc. With 13 minutes to play in the half, the Lions trailed 20-7.
 
The Lions responded with a rally of their own. Albert hit a three and a jumper as part of the Lion rally. Albert had seven consecutive points and the Lions went on a 15-5 run. The Lions began to better contest shots and for a spell, the Lions looked to turn the tide.
 
However, the Falcons continued to shoot the three-ball well and built their lead back up to double figures with four minute to play in the half. The Lions were held without a field goal for more than four minutes as they hit a cold spell and the Falcons capitalized. A&M-Commerce trailed 42-29 at halftime.
 
Albert and Austin both had seven points to lead the Lions at halftime. De'Andre Carson added five and Dorian Armstrong had nine rebounds in the first half. McPherson had 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep in the first half. Francis added 10 points and had four rebounds.
 
The Lions shot 27 percent from the field in the first half but shot 11-of-12 from the free throw line in the first half.
 
The Lions cut the UTPB lead down to 11 before the Falcons went on a 6-0 run to bring the lead to its largest margin yet. The lead got to as many as 20 before the Lions started to chip into the lead. A three from Montrell Little accompanied by the Lions getting into the lane and drawing fouls got the lead down to 14 with 12 minutes to play.
 
However, that's as close as the Lions were able to get the game. UTPB continued to shoot a high percentage and the Lions continued to struggle from the field and the lead was pushed to more than 20 in the final minutes.