COMMERCE – After nearly upsetting another NCAA Division I team, the Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team returns to Division II competition on Monday as part of Education Day presented by Alliance Bank hosting Harding. The Lions are off to their best start since 2018-19.
 
WHO: Harding at A&M-Commerce
WHERE: Commerce | Field House
WHEN: Monday, December 6 at 2:30 p.m.
RECORDS: The Lions are 3-0 overall, the Jaguars are 2-4 overall.   
RANKINGS: Neither team is ranked in any polls.  
 
WATCH: https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/tamuc/
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LIVE STATS: http://statb.us/b/372598
TICKETS: https://lionathletics.com/tickets
GAME NOTES
 
FEELS LIKE 2018!
• The Lions are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 2018-19 season, which is the last season that the Lions were in the NCAA Tournament.
• In five seasons under coach Jaret Von Rosenberg, the Lions have started 3-0 or better in three of the seasons.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST THE BISONS
• The Lions are 4-1 all-time against the Bisons, having won the last three meetings.
• Monday's meeting is the first between the two teams since a home-and-home series in 2015.
• A&M-Commerce is 2-0 in the two meetings in the Field House, the lone loss in the series came in a neutral site game in Austin.
 
SCOUTING THE BISONS
• Harding are 2-4 to start the year, it fell in the GAC opener to Southern Arkansas on Thursday and plays Ouachita Baptist on Saturday.
• The Bisons faced UAFS earlier this season and will play OBU on Saturday, both opponents are on the Lions schedule as well.
• Taylor Currie (19.5) and Stetson Smithson (16) lead the way in scoring, while both are also averaging over 8.2 rebounds.
 
LEADING THE NATION
• A&M-Commerce is blocking 6.7 shots per game, which leads the nation.
• The Lions are also shooting 45.3 percent from beyond-the-arc, which is best in the country.
• Clashon Gaffney's 4.67 blocks per game lead NCAA Divison II and Jairus Roberson is making 5.7 three pointers per game, which is best in the nation.
 
ALMOST HAD ANOTHER ONE
• The Lions led for over 30 minutes in Monday's night game at Division I South Alabama.
• A&M-Commerce led by as much as 15 points, looking for second win this season against a NCAA Division I team.
 
THIS LION IS ON FIRE
• Jairus Roberson has scored 60 points through three games this season, 51 of the points have come beyond-the-arc.
• On Saturday against Ouachita Baptist, he scored 10 points in overtime, outscoring the Tigers 10-6 in the extra period.
• His eight made three pointers in Saturday's win over OBU are tied for second-most in program history with current assistant coach Willie Rooks.
• Roberson has played a large role in the Lions leading NCAA Division II in three point field goal percentage through three games.
 
NO...NO...NO...NOT TODAY!
• Clashon Gaffney is averaging 4.7 blocks per game through the first three games, leading the LSC.
• The Lions lead the LSC with an average of 6.7 blocks per game.
• Gaffney has had five blocks in the last two games, which are the most in a game for a Lion since Marqueith Russell on Feb. 16, 2017 against Tarleton.
 
A THREAT FROM DEEEEP
• The Lions have made two buzzer-beaters from near half court this season.
• Jairus Roberson beat the first-half buzzer against Ouachita Baptist from about 40 feet away.
• Alphonso Willis also made his buzzer-beater from about 40-feet away. His shot gave the Lions the win at UTSA.
 
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 returned this season.
 
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