After the regular season opening on Nov. 29, both men’s and women’s basketball teams played against Texas A&M Commerce on Dec. 2. The women’s team played first with a score of 69-66, and the men’s team followed with a score of 77-93.
The score at halftime for the women’s team was 32-31. The game started off a lot closer than the Tarleton game. Kristin Rydell, guard and nursing senior, made the first basket of the game. Within the seven minute and six minute mark, Whitney Taylor, forward and education senior, made a three-point basket. Right after Adams, Rydell made a basket and they brought the score to 8-4. The women’s team kept the score in their favor the whole time, at the start of the second quarter the score was 15-14. Mercelita made two baskets within a minute bringing the score to 21-17, then she received a foul shot to make the score 22-17 within the first four minutes of the second quarter. At the 5:02 mark Chelcie Kizart, guard and pre-physical therapy junior, stole the ball and ran down the court for a layup. At the 4:23 mark, Kizart made a three-point basket and the score before halftime was 32-31.
“The communication was the best so far just by the end of the game when we did the subbing five and five. Offense and defense had to communicate where you were and who you had,” Avery Queen, forward/center and biology senior said. “There is a lot we can improve on for the rest of the season. First is free throws and we still need to practice our zone.”
The first half of the men’s basketball game began with a basket by Josh Huntley, forward and business senior, at the 16:01 mark. At the 14:15 mark, Brandon Neel, senior guard, made a basket to tie the score at 7-7. Huntley followed up with another basket to break the tie and bring the score to 9-7. With 9:19 left in the half, Nick Powell, forward and undecided senior, made a three-point shot and brought the men’s team eight points above Texas A&M Commerce. Powell then continued to make two more three-pointers, making it three three-point shots in a row. This brought the score to 27-15 in favor of MSU. At the 6:09 mark, Devante Pullum, guard and business senior, finished a layup and brought the score to 36-22. With 4:31 left before halftime, Trey Kennedy, guard and psychology senior, made two foul shots to make the score 38-27. The score at halftime was 39-32.
“With two games in a row we played as a team, we lacked that before conference so it is good we came together now,” Mica Schnieder, guard and mass communication sophomore, said.
The third quarter started off with a three-point shot by Taylor at the 9:41 mark. Taylor made another three-pointer at the 7:09 mark and brought the score to 42-33. Schnieder finished the third quarter with a three-point shot at the 2:45. The fourth quarter started off with several baskets from Texas A&M Commerce. Kizart scored at the 8:45 mark and made the score 50-51. The score flipped back and forth between Commerce and the women’s team. Queen made a basket at the 4:57 mark, followed by Schnieder to make the score 55-54. Schnieder made a basket with 1:54 left to the game, then at the 1:20 mark Leanna James, guard and undecided sophomore, made two foul shots. The final score to the game was 64-61 and the women’s basketball team has won their second game in a row for regular season.
“The teamwork was really good during the game. We worked very well together and kept them playing defense,” Taylor said.
In the second half of the men’s game, there was a big turn around that brought the game out of the men’s grasp. Huntley made a basket at the 18:46 mark, followed by two free throws by Neel. Texas A&M Commerce was able to get the better of the men’s team as the score was 49-56 at the 10:48 mark. 6:53 left to the game and Neel score to make the score 53-68. He then made a three-point to make the score 56-72. From the 5:20 to 3:54, Neel score a free throw and three baskets. With 2:06 until the game was over, Logan Hicks, sophomore guard, scored two foul shots and made the score 72-87. Charles Callier, redshirt freshman guard, made a three-point shot with 54 seconds left. The final score was 77-93, and the men’s basketball team fell to Texas A&M Commerce.
The women’s basketball team will return to D. L. Ligon Coliseum on Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. against Southern Nazarene.
The men’s basketball team will return to D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. against Eastern New Mexico.
