HACKENSACK, N.J. – Four East Texas A&M University men's basketball players scored in double digits as the Lions cruised to an 84-67 win over the Army West Point Black Knights on Tuesday afternoon at the Bogota Savings Center.
 
The Lions have won three in a row and improve to 4-3 on the season, which is the first time East Texas A&M has had a record above .500 in the Division I era, with a minimum five games played. Army falls to 1-6, having lost six in a row.
 
East Texas A&M went 2-0 in the three-team FDU Basketball Classic with wins over FDU and Army. The Knights and the Black Knights play each other on Wednesday afternoon in Hackensack.
 
As part of a 5-0 run, while holding the Lions to just six points through the first 5:40 of the game, the Black Knights held a 13-6 lead. The Lions hit a three-pointer on the other end and put together a 15-2 run over the next 4:37 to lead it 21-15.
 
Army came all the way back to lead to 26-25. Trailing 28-27, the Lions shot 5 for 6 from the field for the next 3:13, including 4 for 5 from deep to go up 41-32. The Lions had a lead as big as 10 in the first half, shooting 58.1 percent from the field, while Army shot 56 percent.
 
Nine of the 18 made field goals in the first half for East Texas A&M came from outside the three-point arc. Damian Garcia (Housto – Dobie) shot 7 for 8 from the field, including a perfect 4 for 4 from outside for 18 points in the first half.
 
The first six points of the second half were spread evenly between the two teams, but then the next 14 were scored by the Lions, shooting 4 for 4 from the field, 3 for 3 at the line, and 3 for 3 from outside, during the two minutes and 31-second stretch, while holding Army to shoot 0 for 4 from the field. The Lions' largest lead in the game was 25 points.
 
Garcia was held to just three field goal attempts and two points in the second half, but finished the game as the leading scorer with 20 points, while Ronnie Harrison (Forney) scored 12 points and eight rebounds, followed by 10 points each from Josh Taylor (Atlanta) and Gianni Hunt (Lakewood, Calif.).
 
The Lions shot 50 percent from the field, 12 for 30 from deep, and 18 for 22 at the line, while Army was held to shoot 25.8 percent in the second half, but did have the 35-34 edge in rebounding during the game. The Black Knights' leading scorer was Kevin McCarthy with 12 points. Sixteen players appeared in the game for Army.
 

POST GAME INTERVIEW
 
UP NEXT
The Lions are next in action on December 5, playing at UCONN at 7:30 p.m. eastern, 6:30 p.m. central.