SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team defeated Western New Mexico 77-73 on Thursday evening. The teams battled back and forth throughout the game, with the Lions pulling ahead late to get the win.
 
The win brings the Lions to 13-5 on the year and 9-3 in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs fall to 3-15 on the season and 2-12 in conference play.
 
The Lions return to the court on Saturday as they travel to Odessa to face UT Permian Basin at 4 p.m.
 
HEAD COACH JARET von ROSENBERG AFTER THE GAME
- On WNMU's game plan: "They had a really good game plan against us. I thought they did a good job of keeping us out of the paint and sending help on our drives. We had a lot of wide open shots tonight, and sometimes when they are so wide open, you are a little bit hesitant. There were a few times where we had some good looks, but they just didn't go down. Give credit to them, they took care of the basketball and forced us into a lot of turnovers, which helped them offensively."
- On the strong shooting of Barrett and Lara: "Deon did a great job of helping to spark our run there. He hit those two threes in a row. And he took great shots and he knocked them down. Then Leo came in and hit all of his threes in the second half. And we got to the foul line and put pressure on them, and we cashed in when we got to the line."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Deon Barrett (Dallas - Lancaster) led the way for the Lions with 22 points, while also adding six rebounds and a team-high four assists. He hit five threes in the game.
- Wayne Stewart (Philadelphia, Pa.) added 15 points and pulled in a career-high 15 rebounds.
- Deonta Terrell (Chicago, Ill.) also had 15 points, hitting three three-pointers. Leo Lara (Santa Rosa) also finished in double figures with 11 points.
- The Lions shot 40 threes in the game, shooting 33 percent from long range.
- The Lions trailed by as many as 10 in the second half.
- The Lions gave up 24 points off of 20 turnovers, while WNMU only had nine giveaways.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions started the game on an 8-0 run, with Stewart scoring five early points. WNMU responded with seven points in a row to cut the Lion lead. WNMU tied the game at 11 after seven minutes of play. The teams continued to battle, as WNMU held a 16-15 lead after 10 minutes of action.
 
The Lions regained the lead, going on a 9-0 run to take a 25-18 lead with eight minutes to play in the half. WNMU then went on a run of its own, going on a 12-0 run over the next four to take a 31-25 lead. The Lions fought back to tie the game late in the half, before WNMU took a 41-38 lead into halftime.
 
The Mustangs pushed their lead to seven points early in the half and eventually led by nine points at the five minute mark of the half, and took a double-figure lead at the seven minute mark of the half.
 
Barrett then hit a pair of threes as the Lions battled back, hitting three triples in a row. Barrett was also fouled on a three-point shot, tying the game as the team went on a 12-2 run. Barrett then hit another shot as the Lions took a 59-57 lead at the midway mark of the half.
 
The Lions led by four before the Mustangs went on a run to regain the lead with six minutes remaining in the half. The Lions fought back to gain the lead back at the four minute mark. The teams continued to battle, as WNMU tied the game with two minutes left before the Lions hit another three to once again take the lead. The Lions played tough defense down the stretch and hit their free throws to escape with the road win.