FORT SMITH, Ark.– The No. 22 Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team defeated Rogers State 74-60 on Friday. The Lions got out to a big lead early in the game and held that lead throughout the remainder of the contest.
 
The win brings the Lions to 10-0 on the season, tying the best start to a season in program history. The Hillcats fall to 7-3 on the year.
 
The Lions return to action on Saturday against No. 11 Arkansas-Fort Smith, the host of the tournament. The game will be played at 5 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith, Ark.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Reggie Reid led the Lions with 16 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and five steals. He had 12 points in the first half.
- Srdan Budimir had 15 points, scoring 13 in the first half. He had three triples and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line.
- Willie Rooks had 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Dorian Armstrong added nine points while Trey Conrod had eight points.
- A&M-Commerce shot 48 percent from the field and 43 percent from behind the arc.
- The Lions scored 23 points off of turnovers and had 28 bench points.
- The Lions led by as many as 24 late in the game.
- With the win the Lions tied the best start to a season in school history. The 1947-48 team also started the season 10-0.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded baskets early, with the score tied at 8 after three minutes of play. The Lions then went on a run, scoring 10 in a row over the next seven minutes as A&M-Commerce took a double-digit lead.
 
The Lion lead hovered around 10 points for the next several minutes before A&M-Commerce went on a late run. Reid hit a three and a layup and Budimir drained back-to-back threes late as the Lions pushed their lead to 44-24 at halftime.
 
Budimir had 13 points in the first half, hitting all three of his triples and all four of his free throws. Reid added 12 points and Rooks had eight. The Lions shot 48 percent in the first half, including 47 percent from downtown. The Lions capitalized on multiple Hillcat turnovers, scoring 16 points off of 13 giveaways.
 
The teams traded baskets early in the second half, as the Lions maintained their big lead. After RSU cut the lead to 16 points, the Lions responded with a 7-0 run to bring their lead to 23 points
 
The teams again started to trade buckets as RSU never went on a long run to get back into the game. The Lions brought their lead to as many as 24 late in the half before the Lions brought in their reserves. The final score was 74-60 as RSU scored the final 10 points of the game.