FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The four-game road trip to start the season closed out for the Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team with an 86-64 loss to the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on Sunday afternoon at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
 
The Lions and the Mastodons, where within one point of each other with Purdue Fort Wayne leading 6-5 at the 16:49 mark of the first half. The Mastodons put together a 19-2 run over the next four minutes to take control of the game.
 
A&M-Commerce brough the deficit down to nine on a 9-0 run and then trimmed it to six at 29-23, but Purdue Fort Wayne did not let its lead get smaller and pushed it back up to 16 at the end of the first half.
 
The Mastodons had the lead in double digits throughout the second half, leading by as much as 24. The Lions shot 43.1 percent from the field, but 4 for 23 from the distance. Purdue Fort Wayne shot 51.6 percent from the field and 8 for 21 from outside the arc.
 
Rasheed Bello scored 29 points for Purdue Fort Wayne, shooting 10 for 18 from the field and a perfect 3 for 3 from the distance. Anthony Roberts had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
 
For the Lions, Jerome Brewer Jr. (Camden, N.J.) totaled 13 points, while Kalen Williams (Augusta, Ga.) scored 11. Alonzo Dodd (St. Paul, Minn.) added nine points and team-high four assists.
 
Off the bench, KC Ugwuakazi (Boston, Mass.) led the team with eight rebounds and scored eight as well. Khaliq Abdul-Mateen (Cy-Lakes) and James "Pop" Weathers (Baton Rouge, La.) added seven points each.
 
The Lions have started 0-4 for the first time since 2007-08, though did play two nationally ranked teams, three power conference opponents, and all four games on the road. The Mastodons are off to a 3-0 start.
 
UP NEXT
After the first four games on the road, the Lions host Science & Arts on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for their home opener. Tickets can be purchased at LionAthletics.com/Tickets.