WICHITA FALLS – Outscoring the Midwestern State Mustangs, 44-17 in the second half, the Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team downed the Mustangs, 73-48 to secure their seventh straight win in the series at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Thursday night. 
 
A&M-Commerce bounces back from a loss on Monday to move to 7-1 on the season, while Midwestern State falls to 4-7. Both teams will meet again on New Year's Eve in the Field House at 4 p.m. 
 
Alphonso Willis (Atlanta, Ga.) scored the first 10 points for the Lions and had the Lions trailing 12-10. A layup by Khaliq Abdul-Mateen (Cy Lakes) at the 12:09 mark gave the Lions a 12-11 lead, part of a 6-0 run. 
 
Midwestern State had a lead for only six minutes and 49 seconds in the second half, but led by as much as five and closed out the first half leading 31-29. A&M-Commerce shot 38.7 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. 
 
JJ Romer Rosario (Hialeah Gardens, Fla.) appeared in his first game since the win over Ouachita Baptist on November 27. He made both of his three pointers to have six points of the bench in the first quarter. Jairus Roberson (DeSoto) also had six points in the first half. 
 
The Lions outscored the Mustangs 44-17 in the second half. 
 
Willis tied the game at 33 on a layup at the 17:41 mark. The Lions did not trail for the rest of the game. A three pointer by Carson Tuttle (Mukilteo, Wash.) gave the Lions the lead for good. A 18-3 scoring run in the second half created some separation for the Lions. 
 
A three pointer by Carius Key (Irving – MacArthur) gave the Lions their largest lead of the game of 25 points in the final bucket scored by either team with 29 seconds to go. Rosario made five of six three pointers for 15 points, his first time scoring a point. 
 
Midwestern State shot 6 for 34 from the field, while A&M-Commerce made 17 of their 25 field goal attempts and 8 of their 13 three pointers. 
 
Willis finished the game leading the team in all three major statistical categories. He scored 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Augustine Ene (Carrollton – Creekview) also had two steals to go along with 10 points and four rebounds. 
 
Tuttle had nine points in the second half as well. He also dished out three assists. Roberson finished the game with nine points. Rodney Brown (Beaumont – Westbrook) played his first game in three weeks and totaled two points, five rebounds, and a steal. All but one player that appeared in the game for the Lions scored at least two points. 
 
A&M-Commerce's bench outscored Midwestern State, 33-6. 


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The Lions welcome Arkansas-Fort Smith to the Field House on Monday at 4 p.m. before resting during the holidays.