COMMERCE – Monday night was another instant classic between the Texas A&M University-Commerce men's basketball team and Southeastern Louisiana, with SLU picking up a 79-77 win in overtime on the Hunt Regional Healthcare Court in the Field House.
 
A&M-Commerce and Southeastern have now played twice in Commerce over the past two seasons. Both games have gone to overtime and been decided by two points. A&M-Commerce is now 9-16 overall and 3-9 in Southland Conference play, while Southeastern is 12-13 overall, 7-5 in SLC action, and 4-1 all-time against the Lions. With six games left in the regular season, A&M-Commerce is tied for ninth place.
 
At the 4:12 mark of the second half, A&M-Commerce trailed 62-58, but the Lions scored the next five points, while holding SLU scoreless until 46 seconds left in the game. Southeastern re-took the lead at 64-63 with 46 second left, but Kalen Williams (Augusta, Ga.) drilled a three-pointer on the other end to give A&M-Commerce a 66-64 lead with 18 seconds left.
 
Southeastern's Nick Caldwell was fouled with eight seconds left in the game and hit both free throws to tie the game at 66. A&M-Commerce's shot to win the game at the end of regulation did not touch the rim or backboard.
 
A&M-Commerce led for the first 1:15 of the overtime period, but Southeastern used a 5-0 run to take its first lead in overtime. There was a total of six lead changes and two ties in overtime.
 
Williams hit another three-pointer at the 2:02 mark to give the Lions a 77-75 lead, but A&M-Commerce did not score again in the game. Southeastern tied the game at 77 with 1:39 left and Roger McFarlane hit a jumper with three seconds left to put Southeastern up. The Lions' last-second heave was short.
 
Monday night was the third overtime game of the season for A&M-Commerce, who is now 1-2 in overtime games this season. The Lions have lost four of their last five overtime games, after having won the previous seven.
 
Southeastern scored 15 of the first 20 points of the game, which included an 8-0 run. A&M-Commerce put together a 5-0 run to pull to 17-15 and the Lions used another 5-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 20-19, on a three by Evan Phelps (Duncanville), which was at the 11:26 mark.
 
The next point in the game for either team did not come until the 8:42 mark with Southeastern hitting a jumper. Both teams exchanged one-possession leads, until SLU went on a 6-0 run to lead 35-30 with 2:22 to go in the first half.
 
A&M-Commerce tied the game at 35, but Caldwell hit a free throw to give Southeastern a 36-35 lead at halftime. The two teams combined to go scoreless for the first 2:31 of the second half with A&M-Commerce scoring the first five points to take a four-point lead.
 
Southeastern held A&M-Commerce scoreless for a stretch of three minutes, while scoring eight points in a row to lead 46-43 at the 12:55 mark. The scoring margin was not bigger than four the rest of the game.
 
Jerome Brewer Jr. (Camden, N.J.) returned after missing the previous eight games and led the team with 19 points, while Williams scored 15, and Kwo Agwa (Calgary, Canada) scored 10. All three totaled eight rebounds as well, while Tommie Lewis (Vero Beach, Fla.) dished out seven assists and scored eight points.
 
Off the bench, VJ Reeves, Jr. (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) scored 13 with three rebounds. The Lions shot 33.8 percent from the field and 15 for 41 from the distance. The 15 made three-pointers are second-most this season and tied for seventh-most in program history.
 
Caldwell scored 22 points with 10 rebounds for SLU, while Roger McFarlane totaled 16 points and 15 rebounds. The Lions went 6 for 9 from the field in overtime.
 

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A&M-Commerce is on the road for the next four games. The Lions play at A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and at UIW next Monday at 6:30 p.m.