COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team opens up the 2018-19 season with two games over the weekend. The Lions will face Oklahoma Christian on Friday and Newman on Saturday on the campus of Cameron in Lawton, Okla.
 
OCU
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce (0-0) vs. Oklahoma Christian (0-0)
WHERE: Aggie Gym in Lawton, Okla.
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: Click HERE
 
Newman
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: Click HERE
 
The Lions are coming off of an exhibition game against UT Rio Grande Valley. The team lost in the final minutes but was able to compete against a Division I team and give them all they could handle. Lion head coach Jaret von Rosenberg was pleased with the team's effort in the exhibition.
 
"I thought it was great for our guys," he said. "This was a real game. It counted as an exhibition for us but it was a real game for them. They were playing to win and it was a game that counted on their schedule. We got to see a really good effort from another team that scouted us and did a good job of taking us away from what we try to do. Overall, it was really good.
 
"We started very slow, and I give them a lot of credit for that taking us out of our offense. But then we settled in in that second half and guys were able to make plays for their teammates and string some stops together. Obviously, every time we step out on the floor, we are trying to win. But it was a good learning experience for our guys and it was good to see our guys come back and make it a game."
 
In the contest, the Lions trailed by double-digits early but were able to get some stops in the second half to claw their way back in and tie the game late. von Rosenberg liked the way his team battled and played on the defensive end after settling in.
 
"As soon as we realized it is a lot less about offense and more about getting stops and stringing stops together," he said. "You can 100 percent in the second half but if you don't get stops, you won't get closer. You have to string stops together and your offense will come. We want our defense to lead to our offense. It all starts on the defensive end."
 
The Lions will now open up their season against Oklahoma Christian and Newman. A&M-Commerce faced both teams in the first two games of last season and won both contests in down-to-the-wire finishes. He is looking for both teams to present similar challenges this year. He knows his team will need to compete if they want to win.
 
"I expect both of them to be very good," he said. "We follow our opponents throughout the year and we know what the Heartland is doing. Both of those teams had really strong finishes last year. They kept getting better over the course of the year and finished strong. I expect them to keep building on that and expect two tough opponents that we better come ready to play hard and put ourselves in position to give ourselves a chance in that last four minutes. Then hopefully we can make some plays and make one more play than they do."
 
The Lions will be looking to establish their identity and build on it as the season progresses. von Rosenberg is looking for the team to establish a defensive mindset and work from there to improve every day.
 
"I want the effort on the defensive end, staying in the stance, guarding how we are trying to guard as a unit with five guys guarding the ball," he said. "And then when a shot goes up, doing everything we can to make contact and get a rebound. We turned the ball over 23 times against Rio Grande Valley. But in the half court, guys were locked into trying to do the things we have been working on since the first workout. We did a good job on the glass. We were +18 or +20 on the glass. Those are the things I want to see. That is what I want our identity to be. Then everything after that, we'll be trying to get better offensively all throughout the year. That will never end."