COMMERCE – For the first time since 2016, the Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team is hosting a multi-team at the Field House. The Lions welcome UT Tyler, Mississippi College, and Ouachita Baptist this Friday and Saturday for Lion Hoopsgiving presented by Best Western Plus.
LION HOOPSGIVING PRESENTED BY BEST WESTERN PLUS SCHEDULE - MEN
GAME NOTES: TAMUC
TICKETS
• Season and individual game tickets are available at LionAthletics.com/Tickets.
• Fans that bring in a can of non-perishable good to donate to the Lion Food Pantry this weekend to donate to the Lion Food Pantry, will receive a special $5 ticket to this weekend's games.
BEEN A WHILE
• A&M-Commerce hosts a four-team tournament this weekend at the Field House.
• The field of teams include the Lions, Mississippi College, Ouachita Baptist, and UT Tyler.
• The Lions square off against the Choctaws on Friday and the Tigers on Saturday.
• This is the first multi-team event hosted by the Lions since the LSC/Heartland Challenge to start the 2016-17 season.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST THE CHOCTAWS
• This is the first meeting between the two teams.
• The Choctaws take on LSC teams for the first time this weekend since the move up to Division II.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST THE TIGERS
• The Lions are 10-7 against the Tigers and 7-2 at the Field House.
• This is the first meeting between the two teams since 12/12/15, a 75-63 win at home for the Lions.
• The Lions have won the last three meetings at home.
ROBERSON SPARKS LIONS
•
Jairus Roberson scored 24 points off the bench, including seven three pointers to beat Fort Valley State in the season opener.
• Roberson's seven three pointers are most by a Lion since current assistant coach
Willie Rooks' eight on 1/19/19 against Eastern New Mexico.
NO...NO...NO...NOT TODAY!
•
Clashon Gaffney had four blocks against Fort Valley State, helping the Lions have six as a team.
• The Lions lead the LSC with an average of six blocks per game.
• Gaffney's four blocks in a game are most since
Rodney Brown and Wayne Stewart in 2019-20.
EXPERIENCED NEWCOMERS
• All four newcomers to the program have seen the court this season. Division I transfers
Clashon Gaffney and
Jairus Roberson as well as Young Harris College transfer
Alphonso Willis as well as freshman
Monyae Davis.
BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER
•
Carson Tuttle (Mukilteo, Wash.) and
Rodney Brown (Beaumont – West Brook) were sidelined most of the season last year due to injury, but have appeared in all games this year.
WILLIS FOR THREE!
•
Alphonso Willis delivered a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer against UTSA. Lions won the game 65-62, their first win over a Division I opponent since 2014.
• The game-winning shot was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 and has been viewed over 100K times across all social media platforms.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-COMMERCE ACCEPTS INVITATION TO SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
• The Southland Conference, following the unanimous approval of its presidential Board of Directors, has extended an invitation of membership to Texas A&M University-Commerce, the league and institution announced Tuesday morning. The university, a longstanding NCAA Division II power located an hour east of Dallas, will officially join the Southland on July 1, 2022, and begin a four-year transition into Division I at the same time.
• Touting a "Best in Class" mission, mentality, and experience, Lions' athletics features sponsorship of 14 varsity sports, including men's sports of football, basketball, golf, cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field. Women's sports include basketball, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field.
The Lions have seen remarkable success in recent years, including winning the 2017 NCAA Division II Football National Championship, highlighting five consecutive postseason football berths since 2015. Overall, 53 A&M-Commerce athletic teams have earned NCAA postseason bids since 2015, including a record 11 teams in 2018-19. Other performance highlights include individual NCAA track and field national championships, an NCAA softball regional championship, and multiple recent NCAA berths in volleyball, and men's and women's basketball.
• In addition to its 2017 NCAA title, the Lions' football program also won the 1972 NAIA national championship. Other national championships have included men's basketball (NAIA 1954-55), men's golf (NAIA 1965) and men's tennis (NAIA 1972 and 1978). Prominent student-athletes at A&M-Commerce have included NFL stars Harvey Martin, Wade Wilson and Dwight White, and noted U.S. Olympic medalist John Carlos.
• Founded in 1889, Texas A&M-Commerce serves rural and urban Northeast Texas with distinction, consistently delivering on a promise that founder Professor William Leonidas Mayo made more than a century ago: "No industrious, ambitious youth shall be denied an education if I can prevent it." To this day, the institution remains committed to its core mission: "Educate. Discover. Achieve."
• Formerly known as East Texas State University, the 2,100-acre Commerce campus provides many opportunities for students to learn and grow. The university offers more than 135 degree programs at the bachelor's, masters and doctoral levels. A vibrant student life experience includes 14 competitive NCAA athletic teams, a thriving Greek system and more than 120 student organizations. Programs are delivered on site at the Commerce campus as well as in Dallas, Frisco, McKinney, Mesquite and Corsicana. A robust online academic menu of classes is also a point of distinction, and U.S. News & World Report has ranked several programs at Texas A&M University-Commerce among the best in the nation for 2021.
• A member of The Texas A&M University System since 1996, the institution provides quality education to an inclusive community of diverse learners as one of the most affordable universities in East Texas. Students work with world-class professors who dedicate themselves to excellence in teaching and research. The university maintains strong relationships with local industries to create relevant academic programs and valuable internship and networking opportunities that prepare career ready graduates.
• Serving nearly 12,000 students, Texas A&M-Commerce is a leader in competency-based education, and is the nation's first institution to offer an accredited competency-based bachelor's degree in criminal justice and organizational leadership. The agriculture program is also a national stand-out, featuring one of the only programs where students grow their own experimental crops on the university's 1,500-acre farm. In addition, A&M-Commerce upholds a 130-year legacy as an exceptional teachers' college, graduating more than 400 certified educators in 2019. In 2020, the university opened the 113,470-square-foot Nursing and Health Sciences Building, featuring a state-of-the-art simulation hospital.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE MEMBERS ON JULY 1, 2022 – AS OF NOVEMBER 18, 2021
| Institution |
Offers Men's Basketball? |
| A&M-COMMERCE |
YES |
| Houston Baptist |
Yes |
| McNeese State |
Yes |
| New Orleans |
Yes |
| Nicholls State |
Yes |
| Northwestern State |
Yes |
| Southeastern Louisiana |
Yes |
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Yes |
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Lion Athletics Mission: Committed to a "Best in Class" experience for all.
