ODESSA – A last-second shot hit the rim but missed and the Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 83-82 loss at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in the Falcon Dome on Saturday evening.
 
A&M-Commerce falls to 13-6 overall and 9-4 in the Lone Star Conference with the loss, while UT Permian Basin is now 14-8 overall and 7-6 in league play.
 
The Lions return home next week for "Fill The Field House Weekend" presented by the Division of Enrollment Management, with vintage logo t-shirts and numerous giveaways for A&M-Commerce students. A&M-Commerce opens the weekend with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff on Thursday, January 30 against Lubbock Christian.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The game was close throughout, featuring seven ties and 15 lead changes. Neither team led by more than one possession in the final seven minutes of action.
- The Lions shot 47.1 percent (32-of-68) from the field, 35.1 percent (13-of-37) from three-point range and 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from the free throw line.
- Wayne Stewart (Philadephia, Pa.) scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and added eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
- Deon Barrett (Lancaster) scored 15 points with seven assists and four rebounds.
- Leo Lara (Santa Rosa) and Darnell Wright (Chicago, Ill.) each scored 12 points. Wright added seven rebounds and three steals. Lara went 4-for-8 from three-point range and set up the final score opportunity with a steal.
 
HEAD COACH JARET von ROSENBERG AFTER THE GAME
On suffering a close defeat: "It's really frustrating because we did so many things we talk about very well. We had 21 assists and 10 turnovers and shot 50 percent in the second half. You have to give UTPB credit, they turned it over 12 times in the first half and only twice in the second half. That was really the difference in the game. They took care of the basketball and we took 15 more shots than them, but that's because went to the foul line 20 times. A lot of guys did a lot of good things to give us a chance to win, we just didn't pull out the victory."
 
On returning home after a long road trip: "The approach is not going to change. We know it's tough to win on the road and we knew it was going to be tough to win here. It's frustrating to really execute the game plan and come up short."
 
On the team's effort in the final seconds while down one point: "It's good not to quit and still deny. We were either going to deny or foul and Leo  got the steal and got a pretty good look and got it on the rim and it just didn't go down.:
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions opened the scoring with a Deonta Terrell (Chicago, Ill.) three-pointer before the Falcons took off on a 15-3 run. With 14:15 to play in the first half, UTPB took its largest lead of the game at 15-6.
 
The Lions responded with a 13-5 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes and Lara's three-pointer at the 9:45 mark made it a 20-19 game. The redshirt sophomore tied the game up at 27-all with a three-pointer at the 6:22 mark, and River Reed (San Antonio – Reagan) gave the Lions the lead with a pair of free throws on the next possession.
 
UTPB led by six points with four minutes left in the half, but the Lions outscored their hosts on an 11-2 run to close out the period. A Barrett triple and a pair of Stewart baskets in the final two minutes pushed the Lions to a 40-37 halftime lead, after a UTPB late attempt was waved off after review.
 
In the early stages of the second half, the Lions went on an eight-point run thanks to a Wright layup and triples from Stewart and Barrett. A&M-Commerce's 50-41 lead with 15:47 to play was the largest advantage of the game for the visiting side.
 
For most of the nest eight minutes, the Lions maintained a two-possession lead, and Lara's trey at the 7:18 mark gave A&M-Commerce a 70-65 lead. However, the Falcons made the next three baskets to take the lead, and neither side would lead by more than two points the rest of the way.
 
Entering the final minute of action, UTPB led by two and Barrett stole the lead back for the Lions with a three-pointer to make it 82-81. The Falcons made 2-of-4 free throws on their final two possessions, taking an 83-82 lead with 3.8 seconds to play. Terrell was called for a travel with 2.2 seconds left, but Lara intercepted the ensuing inbounds pass. He rushed down the floor and his three-point shot hit the rim as time expired and the Lions were unable to finish on top.