EDINBURG – The Texas A&M University-Commerce staged a second half comeback before ultimately falling to Division I UT Rio Grande Valley, 91-84, in exhibition action on Tuesday night.
 
The game is one of two exhibition contests against Division I opposition in the next eight days for the Lions, and does not count toward their regular season record.
 
The Lions open the regular season in Lawton, Okla., at 5:30 p.m. Friday against Oklahoma Christian in the LSC/Heartland Challenge.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions shot 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the field in the contest and held a 56-32 rebounding advantage over the Vaqueros. However, the Lions turned the ball over 22 times to UTRGV's six.
- Lone Star Conference Preseason Player of the Year Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga.) led all scorers with 23 points. He also tied for the game lead with nine rebounds.
- Willie Rooks (Houston – North Forest) scored 20 points.
- Trey Conrod (Kilgore) added 11 points and nine rebounds.
- A&M-Commerce had 21 offensive rebounds, converting them into 23 second-chance points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Conrod scored on the opening possession of the game and netted the Lions' first four points. UTRGV went on a 13-point run to take a 16-4 lead with just under 15 minutes left in the first half before a three-pointer by Vernon Lowndes (Charleston, S.C.) stemmed the tide.
 
That triple keyed 10-2 Lion surge that cut the lead to four points at 20-16 on a Lowndes layup with just under 12 minutes left in the half. The Vaqueros would extend the lead back into double digits, but Rooks' triple with 1:45 to play narrowed the deficit to nine points at 39-30. UTRGV hit a three-pointer just before the buzzer to take a 45-32 lead into the halftime break.
 
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Vaqueros were able to push their lead to a game-high 19 points at 57-38 with 16:42 to play on a three-point play. A&M-Commerce began to chip away at that advantage, and Rooks' fastbreak layup after a steal by Tyree Robinson (Fall River, Mass.) brought the margin back to single digits at 64-55 with 10:53 to go.
 
The Lions continued to roar back in the middle stages of the second half, and Reid's putback on an offensive rebound with 7:26 to play made it a 67-66 game, putting the Division II side within one point. While A&M-Commerce did not regain the lead, the margin was only one possession in the final two and a half minutes before a six-point UTRGV run.
 
Conrod had a highlight reel steal and breakaway dunk to cut the lead back to six with a minute to play, and Reid drained a three-pointer with 45 seconds left to narrow the margin to four points at 87-83, but the Vaqueros converted on 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to fend off the Lions.