COMMERCE – A 7-1 run late in the second half on Sunday evening helped the East Texas A&M University pick up a 75-68 win over the Central Arkansas Bears on the Hunt Regional Healthcare Court in the Field House.
 
The Lions improve to 5-4 overall with the win, picking up their first ever win over the Bears. East Texas A&M matches its win total from a season ago and the three non-conference Division I regular season wins are tied for the most in the Division I era. UCA falls to 4-6 overall.
 
The Bears jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, but the Lions hit two three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to tie the game and took a 15-10 lead as part of an 11-0 run at the 14:38 mark of the first half.
 
Trailing by as much as six, the Bears came back to tie the game at 26 and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to lead 35-32 at the half.
 
Neither side had a lead bigger than three in the first 10 minutes of the second half, until the Lions scored seven in a row to lead 53-47 at the 9:22 mark. UCA scored the next eight to re-take the lead, but after the Lions tied the game at 55 and added a pair of free throws to take a 57-55 lead, the Bears did not have the lead again.
 
The largest lead in the game for the Lions was eight points, and it came with nine seconds left in the game.
 
Gianni Hunt (Lakewood, Calif.) scored team-best 21 points for the Lions, going 10 for 13 at the line, while also dishing out seven assists and grabbing five rebounds. Damian Garcia (Houston – Dobie) tallied 15 points and six rebounds, while Ronnie Harrison (Forney) recorded 13 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Noah Pagotto (Wollongong, Australia) also grabbed seven rebounds, while scoring seven points.
 
Off the bench, Vinny Sigona (Prestonwood Christian Academy) scored 12 points. For the Bears, Camren Hunter scored 20 points and grabbed two rebounds as well as two steals.
 

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The Lions play their first Southland Conference game on Friday at two-defending champion McNeese at 7:30 p.m.