DALLAS – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team fought back from a first half deficit to take a lead over 15^th-ranked Dallas Baptist University early in the second half, but the Lions were unable to hold on, falling 80-69.
 
The Lions are now 5-5 overall and 4-4 in the Lone Star Conference, while DBU is now 12-2 overall and in the league.

A&M-Commerce will return home for a pair of games against long-time LSC rival Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday and Saturday.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Augustine Ene (Carrollton – Creekview) and Alex Peavy (Smithson Valley) tied for the team scoring lead with 14 points apiece. Ene also added six rebounds.
- Dante Adams (Osceola, Ark.) scored 13 points with eight rebounds.
- Leo Lara (Santa Rosa) added 12 points.
- The Lions shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the field with nine three pointers.
- A&M-Commerce's perimeter defense was excellent again, allowing DBU to hit only four-of-17 three pointers (23.5 percent). Unfortunately for TAMUC, DBU excelled inside for a 57.1 percent overall shooting percentage (32-of-56).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
A Carius Key (Irving - MacArthur) dunk on the opening possession and Ene three-pointer gave the Lions an early 5-2 lead, but A&M-Commerce went over three minutes without a basket while DBU went 4-of-5 from the field to flip that lead. After a Peavy three-pointer stemmed that rally, the Patriots scored nine straight to go ahead 19-8 with 12:22 left in the half.
 
Three minutes later, DBU had extended that lead to 16 points at 27-11 for the largest lead of the contest. The Lions began to chip away at the lead in the final eight minutes of the half. Lara scored six and Peavy had a pair of three-pointers as A&M-Commerce closed the half on a 22-9 run in the final eight and a half minutes. Peavy's late three-pointer made it a 38-35 game at halftime.
 
The Lions started the second half on a hot shooting streak, making four of their first five field goal attempts. Adams' fastbreak three-pointer with 16:57 to play gave A&M-Commerce a 46-42 lead. Unfortunately, that momentum fizzled out, as the Lions made only two of their next 10 attempts. With 10 minutes to play, the Lions were still in striking distance with DBU ahead by a 57-52 count after a Carson Tuttle (Mukilteo, Wash.) jumper.
 
A&M-Commerce's shooting woes continued down the stretch, and DBU was able to connect repeatedly on interior shots. The Lions made one field goal in an eight-minute stretch, allowing the Patriots to push out to a 16-point lead before Adams' three-pointer snapped the skid at the 2:10 mark. The Lions were able to get the margin down to nine points in the final minute on a Riley McIntyre (Austin – Bowie) three-pointer, but the mid-half cold streak was too much to overcome.d