PORTALES, N.M. – The No. 22 Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team went to overtime for the second consecutive game, but were edged out by Eastern New Mexico 85-81 in Greyhound Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Lions fall to 17-5 overall and 9-4 in the Lone Star Conference with the loss, while Eastern New Mexico moves to 10-12 overall and 5-8 in LSC play.
 
A&M-Commerce will play its third of five consecutive road contests on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against Angelo State in San Angelo.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Aaron Horne and Reggie Reid were the top scorers for the Lions, each netting 18 points. Horne was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range and also grabbed nine rebounds.
- Srdan Budimir scored 15 points off of the bench and also had five rebounds.
- Willie Rooks had 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists to round out the double-digit scorers.
- The Lions shot 40.3 percent from the floor, making 27-of-67 shots. Both teams only missed three free throws, with A&M-Commerce making 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) and Eastern New Mexico making 19-of-22 (86.4 percent).
- The Lions had a 45-35 rebounding edge.
- A&M-Commerce scored 10 points off of nine ENMU turnovers, while the Greyhounds turned 16 Lion turnovers into 19 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first half, neither squad was able to pull out to more than a six-point advantage, but a late momentum swing changed the game. Neither team shot well early, as the score was only 9-5 in Eastern New Mexico's favor with 12:51 left in the half. The Lions then outscored the Greyhounds 21-11 over the next seven and a half minutes.
 
Joseph Williams-Powell started the rally with a thunderous dunk and Reid's three-point play with 4:17 to go in the period put the Lions up 26-20. Unfortunately for A&M-Commerce, the guests were unable to score again in the half. The Greyhounds closed out the opening period on a 9-0 run. A late three-pointer gave Eastern a 29-26 halftime lead.
 
The Lions canned consecutive three-pointers out of the locker room to regain the lead, and Horne's triple at the 16:18 mark put the A&M-Commerce lead back at six points at 37-31. ENMU would outscore the Lions 19-6 in the next six and a half minutes to flip that advantage to seven points in the hosts' favor.
 
A&M-Commerce eliminated the lead thanks to seven straight Lion points from Budimir. The game was tied at 58-all with 5:11 to go. ENMU was able to get back out to a four-point edge in the final 3:23, but the Lions scored the final five points of regulation. A buzzer-beater for the Greyhounds fell lacking, sending the game to the extra time for the fourth time in the Lions' season.
 
Trey Conrod scored buckets on the Lions' first two possessions of the over time, and a Rooks jumper with 2:10 to go gave the Lions a 75-73 lead. The Lions then missed three straight shots, while the Greyhounds made two straight three-pointers and a pair of free throws to go up by six. Reid and Rooks hit three pointers in the straight, but ENMU made six straight free throws to close out the game in front.