COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team defeated Angelo State 81-72 on Thursday afternoon as part of Education Day, presented by Alliance Bank. Behind the roars of a school-record crowd of 2,446, comprised of local ISD spectators, the Lions overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half to get the win.
 
The win brings the Lions to 6-2 on the season and 1-0 in the Lone Star Conference. The Rams fall to 5-2 and 0-1 in conference play.
 
The Lions return to action on Saturday against A&M-Kingsville as they continue their conference season. The game will be played at 4 p.m. at the Field House. Tickets for the doubleheader are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756 or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House. The Lion women's team will tip off against A&M-Kingsville at 2 p.m. The men's game will immediately follow the conclusion of the women's game.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga.) led the Lions with 20 points in the game and also had three assists and six rebounds.
- Deonta Terrell (Chicago, Ill.) had 15 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line.
- Trey Conrod (Kilgore) and Willie Rooks (Houston – North Forest) each had 11 points in the game.
- The Lions shot 57 percent in the first half. After shooting 52 percent in the first half, the Lions held ASU to 33 percent shooting in the second half.
- The Lions had six blocks in the game.
- The Lions led by as many as 14 in the first half and ASU led by as many as 11 in the second half.
- The game attendance was 2,446, comprised mostly of local ISD children as part of Education Day presented by Alliance Bank. The mark set a new school record for single-game attendance.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions got off to a hot start, scoring the first eight points of the game. After ASU scored four points, the Lions again went on a run, scoring seven in a row to take a 18-4 lead.
 
For the next couple minutes, the teams traded points before ASU started started to climb back into the contest. ASU cut the Lion lead to single digits before the Lions again pushed their lead to 11 points with eight minutes to go.
 
ASU again went on a run as the Lions hit a cold streak. The Rams scored eight in a row to take their first lead of the game at the four-minute mark of the half. It was part of a 16-2 run that pushed ASU's lead to six points. The Lions went into halftime trailing 44-39.
 
Both teams shot a high percentage from the field in the first half as the Lions shot 57 percent and ASU shot 51 percent. ASU got to the foul line 10 times in the half while the Lions shot just one free throw in the half. Reid led the Lions with eight points in the first half. Conrod and Rooks both had seven points.
 
ASU brought its lead to seven points early in the half before the Lions cut the deficit to a one-score advantage with 14 minutes left to play. Leading 53-49, ASU again went on a 7-0 run, taking their largest lead of the contest at 60-49. With five minutes left, the Lions trailed by 10.
 
Not knowing the word quit, the Lions began to chip away at the ASU lead and went on a 14-3 lead to take their first lead of the second half with 1:26 to play. It was a lead the Lions would not surrender. ASU had multiple possessions end without a made basket and the Lions made their free throws to get the win.