FRISCO – The second-seeded Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team bounced back from a cold start and finished strong, defeating seventh-seeded UT Permian Basin 90-80 in the quarterfinal round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament at the Comerica Center on Thursday afternoon.
 
The Lions move to 22-7 on the season with the win, while UT Permian Basin wraps up its season at 14-15.
 
A&M-Commerce will play third-seeded Angelo State in the LSC Tournament Semifinals at Noon on Saturday. The two teams split the regular season series, with each team winning on its home floor.

POSTGAME THOUGHTS FROM...
...Head Coach Jaret von Rosenberg: 
On the overall performance: "We want to give a lot of credit to Coach Newman and their club over there. That is a very talented basketball team that creates a lot of matchup problems on both sides of the floor. We were fortunate to make some shots at the end but we were able to get two or three stops in a row that helped us get some separation. It was both teams going back and forth, shooting a high percentage. You felt like the first team to have three empty possessions was going to lose. We are fortunate that it was their team and not ours."
On withstanding an early 11-0 run by UTPB: "I'm proud of our guys and our effort. We withstood their 11-0 run. It's a credit to our seniors, not being combustible and continuing to play and execute on both sides of the ball. I really liked our shots. I wasn't happy defensively with some of their easy buckets early. But it is a 40-minute game for a reason. There are no 11-point plays in basketball. You get one possession at a time. We just needed to execute. Reggie broke the ice for us and then we got things going to get multiple guys in double figures."
On the confidence to start Reid after coming back from injury: "Reggie has played in a lot of games. The biggest thing we talk about is making the right play. No matter how many games he's missed, I know he is going to go out there and make the right play and compete at a high level. I'm excited that he got an opportunity to get back on the floor. With what he does in the locker room and the practice floor every day, that's why he starts right away and no one blinks an eye on our bench."
 
... Reggie Reid: 
On coming back from injury and making an impact from the start: "That comes from having good teammates and having focus. I was just ecstatic to get back out there on the court and be with my teammates. I was excited to get the win."
On hitting some early shots to spark the offense: "It felt great getting back out there and being able to do what I love, playing basketball. I'm just grateful for the opportunity."
 
...Trey Conrod: 
On his play down the stretch to help the team pull away: "I've been shooting the ball better in the second half of the season. My teammates know I can knock it down. They tell me to keep shooting it and don't get frustrated. My teammates drive the ball and draw help to get me open shots and good looks. We are just trying to make the right play."
On slowing the game down in the final five minutes: "They wanted to play fast paced and we didn't. When we slow it down, we get good looks and got great opportunities. We didn't rush it. Five minutes is a lot of time in basketball. We just took the opportunity and made the plays."

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE – NOTES
- The Lions advance to the LSC Tournament Semifinal round for the third straight season and fifth time in the last six years. A&M-Commerce is 9-12 all-time in the semifinal round of the LSC Tournament.
- Trey Conrod (Kilgore) led five Lions in double digit scoring with 19 points. He also collected five rebounds and passed out five assists with no turnovers.
- Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga.) returned to the Lion lineup and had 16 points.
- Austin Grandstaff (Rockwall) scored 15 points with four rebounds. Srdan Budimir (Karadjordjevo, Serbia) netted 13 points with four rebounds and two blocks. Deonta Terrell (Chicago, Ill.) scored 12 points.
- Rodney Brown (Beaumont – West Brook) scored seven points, had a game high nine rebounds, and blocked four shots.
- The Lions shot 48.5 percent (32-of-66) overall in the contest, but scorched the nets in the second half, making 20-of-30 (66.7 percent) of their field goals and 6-of-12 (50 percent) from three-point range.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UT Permian Basin jumped on the Lions early, scoring the game's first 11 points as A&M-Commerce missed its first six shots attempted. TAMUC stamped out the run with an eight-point surge to get back within striking distance. Neither team would take another two-possession lead for the rest of the half.
 
The Falcons kept the Lions from taking the lead until the seven-minute mark of the half. With UTPB up by three, Budimir and Grandstaff each made a pair of free throws, and Reid's jumper in the paint gave the Lions the lead at 24-21. Conrod had a steal and breakaway layup to put A&M-Commerce ahead 28-23 for its largest lead of the half. The teams went into the dressing room deadlocked at 33-all, with neither team making a field goal in the final 2:46 of the period.
 
The second half went back and forth in swings, without either side able to take a two-possession lead in the first 11 minutes. The game was tied at 66-all with 6:26 to go when the Lions took off on a 12-3 run. Grandstaff started the surge with a three-pointer, Terrell made baskets in the paint on consecutive trips, Grandstaff made two more free throws, and Conrod drilled a triple with just under three minutes to play, putting A&M-Commerce ahead 78-69. UTPB turned the ball over three times and missed two field goals during the Lion host streak.
 
A Budimir blocked shot kickstarted the Lions surge to put the game away. The Serbian senior made two free throws, followed by Conrod and Terrell each hammering home monster dunks on the breakaway, putting the Lions ahead by 14 points at 86-72 with a minute to play, and sealing the quarterfinal victory.