MSU Men beat A&M-Commerce 79-76
General

MSU Men beat A&M-Commerce 79-76

  • 06 January 2006
  • 2 min read

COMMERCE, Texas - The Midwestern State University Mustangs hit six-of-eight free throws in the final 50 seconds to hold on for a 79-76 road victory at Texas A&M University-Commerce Saturday afternoon.

MSU (9-5) had to come from seven points down in the second half to overcome the Lions (10-4) who were unbeaten at home this season.

Midwestern State led by as many as eight in the first half, and took a 38-32 lead into the half.

Both teams scored early in the half, then A&M-Commerce got a quick layup from Chris Fantroy to start a 16-3 run over the next four minutes, overcoming the six-point deficit to a 50-43 advantage on Ellis Kidd's three with 15:09 to play.

MSU answered the run 7-0 run to tie the game at 50-all and the game was back on.

A&M-Commerce held a 67-66 lead with 5:26 to play, when senior LaKeith Grant was fouled and hit a pair of free throws to take a lead MSU would not relinquish.

The Lions Lamar Searight pulled A&M-C to one with 3:05 to play, hitting one-of-two free throws. á But junior Eric Dawson nailed a jumper, followed by a pair of Eddie Rowe free throws to take a five-point advantage with 50 seconds to play.

It was one of two five-point advantages MSU would have during the final minute, but the Lions answered both with three-pointers, the last by Searight with 4.1 seconds to play, cutting the MSU lead to 78-76.

MSU got the ball in play and Chad Rickett hit one-of-two free throws to force A&M-C to put up an off balance three-pointer at the buzzer.

Dawson led MSU with 17 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and a pair of blocked shots. á Tilmon Gaddy also scored 17 points, adding five boards. á Rickett, who hit 4-of-6 free throws in the last minute, tallied 11 points for the game.

A&M-C got 18 points from Ellis Kidd, with Searight posting 12 points with seven rebounds and eight assists. á Miller scored 11 points, 10 in the second half, and Fantroy collected 10 points.

MSU shot 47.5 percent from the floor, while A&M-Commerce shot 43.9 percent. á MSU hit just four threes in the game, with the Lions staying close thanks to 10 treys.

MSU begins a four-game home stand next Thursday when the Mustangs host Northeastern State in a double-header. á The men's game will tip about 8 p.m., following the NSU-MSU women's contest.

+++ MSU +++