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Lions Red Hot Shooting Propels Them Over Patriots (Slideshow)

The Texas A&M-Commerce men’s basketball team finished out a busy week with another commanding win, in a victory over Dallas Baptist University 83-61 in the Commerce Field House.

Both teams came out firing, shooting over 60 percent in the first 10 minutes. As the game progressed, the Lions (9-2) were able to pull away by sustaining that great shooting and tenacious defense. Thanks to aggressive defense, Commerce was able to force nine turnovers and get six blocks by halftime.

Commerce also did a great job of sharing the wealth on the offensive end, with four players finishing in double digits. Reggie Reid led all scorers with 19 points, followed by teammates Willie Rooks and Trey Conrod who each had 16 points. Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week Tyree Robinson had another efficient game going 6-for-8 from the field as the fourth Lion in double digits with 12 points of his own.

This game marks the 24th meeting between the Lions and Patriots in program history. The two teams went on an extended stretch not playing one another from 1986 to 2011. With games being picked back up in 2011 the Lions have the advantage over DBU, but have not played the Patriots in the last four seasons. With the win today, Lions extend the record over the past seven years to 6-2 and are undefeated in the Commerce Field House.

DBU (7-3) was led in scoring by junior guard Connor Lidiak who had 18 points. Lidiak got some assistance in the scoring department by a pair of teammates scoring in double figures, starting with junior guard Carter Brown adding 17 points and redshirt senior forward JT Harris with 11. The Lions won the battle for points in the paint with a 36-24 advantage. The reserves for Commerce outperformed the Patriots bench outscoring them 17 to 4 in bench points. A&M-Commerce led the entire game, never relinquishing the lead.

The highlight player in Thursday’s game goes to Reggie Reid as he came away with a near triple-double with a stat line of 19 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Reid was 50 percent from the field and made several highlight plays in the contest, one being an alley-oop pass to Tyree Robinson for the massive jam. Reid combined with starting backcourt teammate Willie Rooks to shot 8-for-13 from three point range.

Prior to tonight’s game, the Lions got their first votes this season for the NABC Coaches Poll (2) and D2SIDA Media Poll (4). Riding a now four game win streak, the Lions continue to trend upward and will eventually make their way into the top 25 pending they continue to improve.

Next Matchup: Lions get a few weeks off before they are back in action on December 30th in the Commerce Field House. They will take on Texas A&M International at 4 p.m. and look to make in five in a row.