ALLENDALE, Mich. – In a span of three hours on Friday at the Grand Valley State Lacrosse/Track & Field Stadium, the Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s track & field team tallied 27 points on the team standings to lead the Division II National Championships after two of three days. The Lion women head into the final day with four top-seeded marks.

Moaz Ibrahim (Cairo, Egypt) broke the school record in the men’s discus with a mark of 200 feet 10 inches (61.21m), which is also the new Division II National Championships meet record and fourth all-time in Division II history. He achieved in the mark in his third throw. In the last three men’s discus championships contested, the Lions have two national championships and one runner-up finish.

Ushan Perera (Mahabage, Sri Lanka) became the first student-athlete in school history with four National Championships by winning the high jump crown once again. He cleared 7 feet 3.75 inches (2.22m), while Justin Lewis (Lynn. Mass.) and Dakari Hill(Orlando, Fla.) tied for fifth by clearing 7 feet one inch (2.16m). This is the first time that both Lewis and Hill reached the podium in their careers.

The Lions’ 27 points are atop the team leaderboard, the top five on the men’s side heading into Saturday.

MEN’S TEAM STANDINGS (Through 8 of 21 events)

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WICHITA FALLS – A record-shattering second half for the No. 3 ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team helped the Lions cruise to an 81-35 win over the Midwestern State Mustangs at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Thursday night and move to 10-0 on the season.
 
Midwestern State was held to just seven points in the second half, which is the least amount of points allowed by the Lions in a half under coach Jason Burton. The one point allowed in the fourth quarter is the lowest mark since the NCAA implemented quarters in women’s basketball in 2015-16. The Mustangs were held without a field goal in a quarter for the first time in program history.
 
The Mustangs, who fall to 5-4, did not make a field goal in the last 16 minutes and 50 seconds, scoring just two points in that stretch. The Lions’ margin of victory of 46 points is the most by either team in Wichita Falls in the 50 meetings between the two teams.
 
A&M-Commerce fell down 4-2 in the first two minutes of the game, but responded by scoring the next 11 points in a span of three minutes. Chania Wright (DeSoto) had four of the 11 points. The Lions held Midwestern State to shoot 0 for 5 in that stretch.
 
Mia Deck (Frisco – Lone Star) knocked down a three pointer with 2:48 to go in the first quarter to give the Lions their largest lead of the first half, 18-8. Midwestern State cut into the Lion lead by holding them scoreless for the next two minutes and trailed 20-14 at the end of the first half.
 
The Lions were held without a point for the first three and a half minutes in the second quarter. The Mustangs capitalized and cut it to 20-18. A jumper by Dyani Robinson (Langham Creek) with 4:55 to go in the quarter was A&M-Commerce’s first made field goal of the second quarter, giving the Lions a 23-20 lead.
 
Midwestern State stayed within one possession of the Lions for most of the second quarter and took its first lead of the half on a layup by Frances King at the 2:55 mark at 26-25. Robinson regained the lead for the Lions with an and-one. The Lions closed out the first half with a mini 4-0 run on jumpers by Wright and DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) to lead 32-28 at the half.
 
Laila Lawrence (Lewisville) was halfway towards a double-double in the first half with eight points and six rebounds. She also had 2 steals.
 
The Lions started the third quarter on a 6-0 run to match their largest lead of the game at 38-28. Lawrence gave the Lions a 48-33 lead with 4:03 to go in the third quarter, which was their largest lead up to that points. A&M-Commerce held the Mustangs without a made basket for six minutes and 50 seconds during the third quarter. Yasmine Sifaoui ended the Mustangs’ scoring drought with a free throw.
 
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lions led by 53-34. The Mustangs were held to shoot 2 for 15 from the field in the third quarter and made one of their two free throw attempts, scoring one point in the last seven minutes of the third quarter.
 
The scoring drought for the Mustangs extended into the fourth quarter. They were held to a point in the quarter. A&M-Commerce scored 28 in the quarter.
 
Lawrence and Kernal nearly missed double doubles. Lawrence totaled 19 points on 8 for 16 shooting as well as nine rebounds and two blocks. Kernal grabbed 13 rebounds and scored nine points, she also had three assists.
 
Robinson led the team in scoring with 18, she also tallied three assists. Asiyha Smith (Conway, Ark.) scored seven points in the fourth quarter, while Wright scored six in the game.
 
Ravae Payne (Pearland) recorded four points and two rebounds. Deck scored six, while Victoria Hinton (Potomac, Va.) totaled four points and four rebounds.
 
No Midwestern State player had more than six points in the game. The two teams meet again in two weeks in Commerce to open Lone Star Conference play on Friday, December 31 at 2 p.m.

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COMMERCE – In the anticipated rematch of the 2017 NCAA Division II National Championship, the No. 1 West Florida Argonauts defeated the No. 13 Texas A&M University-Commerce football team, 35-17, at Memorial Stadium in front of 8,269 fans on Saturday evening.
 
The Argonauts picked up their first win over the Lions and remain undefeated, 3-0, on the year. The Lions fall to 1-2 on the season.
 
Chance Cooper (Leander – Rouse) opened up the scoring on a seven-yard catch from Jaiave Magalei (Tacoma, Wash.). Cooper has now caught a touchdown pass in two games in a row and led the team with 64 yards on five catches. Magalei went 14 for 23 in the passing game for 159 yards, a touchdown pass, and an interception.
 
West Florida tied the game just four minutes later, on a 33-yard catch by Larry Rembert.
 
The Lions took the lead once again in the first quarter on a four-yard rush by E.J. Thompson (Cy Ranch), who led all Lions’ rushers with 43 yards on 12 carries. He also caught a pass for 13 yards.  
 
Anthony Johnson Jr. tied it once again with a seven-yard run with 11 minutes left in the second quarter.
 
A&M-Commerce went into the locker room with a 17-14 lead thanks to a 33-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half by Jake Viquez (Rockwall), who went 1 for 2 in field goal attempts.
 
The Argonauts shut out the Lions in the second half. They took the lead on an eight-yard run by Jervon Newton and extended it to 11 on the first play of the fourth quarter with a 19-yard touchdown reception by David Durden. West Florida quarterback Austin Reed threw for 274 yards on 18 for 32 passing and also threw two touchdowns.
 
Shomari Mason punched it in from the one-yard line in the fourth to give West Florida a 35-14 lead.
 
The Lions leading tackler on defense was Dominique Ramsey (Converse – Judson) with eight total tackles. He also had 126 return yards. His longest punt return was 45 and longest kick return was 35.
 
D’Angelo Ellis (Cy Ridge) broke up three passes and also had four tackles. Kader Kohou (Euless – Trinity) had five tackles, one for loss and a broken up pass.
 
The Lions look to keep the Chennault Cup in their possession when they travel to Kingsville to take on Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday, September 25 at 7 p.m.

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