Commerce, Texas

Junior guard Kevin Widemond poured in a game and career-high 27 points and made seven of his 10 three point attempts to pace a balanced Lions offense in Saturday's 77-68 victory over Eastern New Mexico at the A&M-Commerce Field House.

A&M-Commerce (6-4) senior guard Lamar Searight scored 18 points to record his 12th consecutive double-digit scoring effort dating back to last season; he also led the Lions with seven assists in the win. Senior forward Archie Beason also added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to help the Lions break a two-game losing streak.

Eastern New Mexico's (4-5) Tristan Largent led the Greyhounds with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, in the loss.

The Lions controlled the tempo for much of contest and went on a 10-2 with 6:37 remaining in the first half to take a 33-25 lead en route to a 36-27 halftime advantage.

In the first half, A&M-Commerce outscored Eastern New Mexico 18-10 in the paint and forced eight Greyhound turnovers, which translated into 11 points. The Lions shot 50% (13-26) from the floor and committed only five fouls in the first half.

Eastern New Mexico cut the A&M-Commerce lead to six with 16:29 remaining in the second half, but a 7-0 run, sparked by a four-point play by Kevin Widemond, gave the Lions an insurmountable 49-36 lead.

Widemond scored 17 of his game-high 27 points in the second half and Searight added 11-second half points to propel the Lions to the 77-68 Lone Star Conference crossover win.

Both teams shot 49% from the field for the contest, but A&M-Commerce forced 18 Greyhound turnovers and made 87% (20-23) of their free throws to clinch the victory.

A&M-Commerce returns to action after Christmas break, as they face Colorado School of Mines in the first game of the Metro/Mines Classic in Denver on December 29. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. central time.