COMMERCE – Five East Texas A&M University men's basketball players scored in double digits in a 75-68 loss to the UIW Cardinals on Saturday afternoon at the Hunt Regional Court in the Field House.
 
SENIOR DAY
The Lions honored their four seniors prior to the game: Yusef Salih (Gainesville, Va.), Khaliq Abdul-Mateen (Cy-Lakes), Josh Taylor (Atlanta, Ga.), and Brandon Taylor (Coppell).
 
UIW started the game leading 11-7, but the Lions then went on a 16-2 run to take a 23-13 lead at the 8:50 mark of the first half. The Cardinals used a 9-0 run to take a 31-29 lead with six seconds left in the first half. TJ Thomas (Memphis, Tenn.) knocked down a layup on the other end to tie the game at 31 at halftime.
 
Both teams exchanged the lead for the first six minutes of the second half, but a 7-0 run by UIW gave the Cardinals a 46-39 lead and the lead did not exchange hands from that point of the game. The Lions did get the margin to within four in the final minute, but UIW went 3 for 4 at the line down the stretch to pick up the season series sweep over the Lions.
 
The Lions fall to 4-26 on the season and 2-17 in Southland Conference play, while UIW improves to 16-14 overall and 9-10 in conference play.
 
Five Lions scored in double digits led by 14 from Josh Taylor, while Scooter Williams Jr. (Chattanooga, Tenn.) added 13, Tay Mosher (The Colony) scored 12, Evan Phelps (Duncanville) and Thomas had 11 each. Both Thomas and Williams Jr. had six assists each.
 
UIW's Davion Bailey scored 30 on 10 for 19 shooting and went 7 for 10 from deep, while Dylan Hayman scored 16 off the bench.
 

POST GAME INTERVIEW
 
UP NEXT
The Lions close out the 2024-25 season at home on Monday night against HCU at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at LionAthletics.com/tickets.