SAN ANGELO– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team defeated Lubbock Christian 68-62 on Friday at the Angelo State Thanksgiving Classic. The Lions got out to a big lead early in the game and held that lead for the rest of the game.
 
The win brings the Lions to 4-0 on the season. LCU drops to 2-4 on the year.
 
The Lions return to the court on Saturday for the second game of their Thanksgiving weekend tournament. They will face Central Baptist at 5:30 p.m. at the Junell Center in San Angelo.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Willie Rooks tied his season-high with 21 points. He shot 7-of-11 from the field and made all five of his free throws.
- Joseph Williams-Powell scored 11 points, nine of which came in the first half. Reggie Reid also had 11 points and added five assists.
- Dorian Armstrong had nine points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Trey Conrod had eight points and Daquane Willford had six points and four steals.
- The Lions shot 75 percent from the free throw line and 42 percent from the field.
- After trailing 4-2 with 18:21 left in the first half, the Lions went on a 14-0 run and never trailed again.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions started well right off the bat. After trailing 4-2 in the early minutes, A&M-Commerce then went on a 14-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 16-4 lead with 14:48 left to play in the half. Rooks had six early points and Williams-Powell added five as the Lions took control early, knocking down three early triples.
 
The Lions then had a cold streak, missing four straight shots. LCU cut into the lead, bringing the Lion lead down to four points. The Lions answered back by getting to the free throw line. Conrod hit two free throws and added a layup as the Lions led by 10 midway through the first half.
 
Both teams were in early foul trouble. While the Lion defense held LCU without a field goal for more than six minutes, LCU got its points from the free throw line, scoring 13 points from the foul line in the first half. The Lions kept pace, keeping their lead. A&M-Commerce led 40-32 at halftime.
 
Rooks had 11 points in the first half, making all four of his shots. Williams-Powell added nine points and Armstrong had seven points and four rebounds. Reid led the team with three assists.
 
It was a back and forth battle throughout the second half. The Lions never lost the lead but had it trimmed several times. LCU opened the half with a jumper to bring the lead to six points before consecutive buckets from Williams-Powell and Reid brought the lead back up to 10 points.
 
With eight minutes left in the half, the Chaps again cut the Lion lead down to just six points. Rooks answered back with a layup and a jumper to bring the Lion lead to 58-48 with seven minutes to play. A jumper from Armstrong gave the Lions a double-digit lead with six minutes to play.
 
With three minutes to play, LCU scored a three-point play to cut the Lion lead to five points. The Chaps then decided to begin fouling, sending the Lions to the free throw line. A&M-Commerce made enough to leave with the six-point victory.