THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Junior Josh Wallace went 5-of-9 from downtown and finished with 18 points as Midwestern State suffered its eighth loss in the last nine contests. The Mustangs failed to hold on to a one-point halftime edge as Texas A&M-Commerce torched the twine in the final 20 minutes, 78-64.
 
The Mustangs drop to 4-9 overall and 0-3 in Lone Star Conference action while the Lions improve to 11-2 and 3-0 in the LSC.
 
Wallace came one point shy of matching his season best set at West Texas A&M when he scored 19 points. The Queens, N.Y., native buried a season-high five treys to score in double-figures for the eighth time overall and fifth time in the last six outings.
 
Four different players scored in double figures for the Lions, led by Willie Rooks with 20 points and nine rebounds. Tyree Robinson just missed joining Rooks on the 20-point plateau, dropping 19 points and five rebounds. Deonta Terrell and Reggie Reid added 14 and 11 points, respectively, with Reid handing out a game-high seven assists.
 
The Lions shot a blistering 54.1 percent in the second half while holding the Maroon and Gold to 35.9 percent. A&M-C corralled the Mustangs from the 3-point line, allowing just three makes after the intermission.
 
Bishop Coulter registered his seventh game with at least 10 points. The Atoka, Okla., product scored 11 with seven boards and a pair of blocks.
 
Terrell Wilson and Elijah Lee each distributed six assists. Lee came up with a season-best eight rebounds and added seven points and a block while Wilson picked up three steals.
 
Trailing 31-30 at the start of the second half, the Lions came out of the break on a 17-7 run to take the lead for good.
 
Rooks took over the contest late, scoring 16 of his 20 points after the break and going 7-of-9 from the floor in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Mustangs cut it as close as five with 13:57 to go on a layup from Wallace, but never cut it back to single digits after that point.
 
GAME NOTES
- Midwestern State falls to 1-8 in its last nine contests after a 78-64 loss to Texas A&M-Commerce
- MSU Texas moves to 55-36 all-time against the Lions, but suffered their fifth-straight loss to A&M-C
- Thursday marked the first time this season the Mustangs lost when holding a halftime lead
- MSU Texas was outrebounded for the sixth time in the last seven games
- The Maroon and Gold started LSC play 0-3 for the third-consecutive season
- MSU Texas went to the free throw line just seven times, converting on four attempts
- Junior Josh Wallace connected on a season-high five three pointers and led the team with 18 points
 
UP NEXT
MSU Texas returns to the court on Saturday, Jan. 5, against Tarleton State. Tipoff at D.L. Ligon Coliseum is set for 4 p.m.