A&M-Commerce Begins LSC North Division Play with 73-55 Win Over SWOSU

Freshman Preston Whitley scored seven of the first nine points of the game to lead Texas A&M University-Commerce to a 71-55 win over host Southwestern Oklahoma State in the Lone Star Conference North Division opener for both teams.

A&M-Commerce (12-4, 1-0 LSC North) held SWOSU scoreless in the opening 5:20 of the game as they built an early 9-0 lead. The Lions never relinquished the deal and posted their first victory in Weatherford since a December 4, 2003 contest.

SWOSU (6-10, 0-1 LSC North) got 19 points each from Charleston Flemmings and Damian Henderson in the loss. The Bulldogs shot just 39.6% from the field, including a 5-for-20 effort from beyond the 3-point line.

Whitley went on to score a career-best 20 points, making seven of nine field goals. Brian Singleton and Sammy Jackson each scored 11 points to join him in double figures. Singleton grabbed a season-best nine rebounds in the win as A&M-Commerce outrebounded SWOSU by a 40 to 29 margin. Also, in the win, the 55 points by the Bulldogs are the fewest by an A&M-Commerce opponent in 2009-10.

With the Lions holding the lead at double digits for most of the game, SWOSU eventually cut the A&M-Commerce advantage to five, 58-53, when Flemmings hit a 3 pointer with 5:36 to go. The Lions had an answer as they closed out the game on a 15-2 run to seal the win.

Next up for A&M-Commerce is a contest on Saturday at 4 pm when they host Cameron at the Field House.