COMMERCE, Texas – In their first game of the new year, the St. Mary's University men's basketball team battled Texas A&M University-Commerce, falling short by a score of 65-58.
Three Rattlers scored in double-figures led by freshman
Norman Beckford with 15 in his first collegiate start. Beckford also led St. Mary's on the glass with nine rebounds in the loss.
Tyler Caron finished with 12 points and four rebounds while
Miles McDougal added 10 points for his second straight double-figure performance.
In the opening frame, the Rattlers led by as many as five points through the first 10 minutes of action. A brief 8-2 run gave St. Mary's a six-point advantage. The Rattlers countered each A&M-Commerce punch in the final four minutes of the half and took a two-point edge into the break.
St. Mary's was efficient in the first half, shooting 41 percent from the floor and 50 percent from long distance.
With the game knotted at 39 with just over 15 minutes left to play, Beckford scored back-to-back buckets and Caron capped on a 7-0 run with a triple, putting the Rattlers ahead 46-39.
A late 10-3 run over the last five minutes of the game proved to be the difference in the Lone Star Conference opener.
St. Mary's falls to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play while the Lions improve to 2-1, 1-0 on the young season.
Dylan Isenhower finished with eight points and seven rebounds while
Mamady Djikine chipped in five points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots.
The teams will be back in action tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Catch all the action live on the
Lone Star Conference Digital Network.
