STEPHENVILLE – No. 13 Tarleton men's basketball took over sole possession of first place in the Lone Star Conference with an 81-63 win over Texas A&M-Commerce on Tuesday at Wisdom Gym.
 
The Texans (14-2, 6-1) were tied in the conference standings with the Lions (12-3, 5-2) entering tonight's game, but the Texans drained a season-best 14 3-pointers and held A&M-Commerce to 33 percent shooting and a season-low 63 points, 24 points below their average. The 14 3-pointers are the most Tarleton has made since last season's Elite Eight game against Augustana when the Texans made 16.
 
Tarleton's outside shooting got hot early, as three of the first four baskets made were 3-pointers for an 11-8 lead. The Lions, however, hung tough early by keeping the score locked up at 18 through the first ten minutes of play. The Texans went on a 7-0 run that started with a Ridell Camidge 3-pointer and four straight points from Josh Hawley for a 25-18 lead.
 
A&M-Commerce would bring the game back to a 2-point deficit at 28-26 before back-to-back 3-pointers from Hawley and Chantz Chambers helped construct a 10-2 run that gave the Texans its biggest first-half lead at 38-28.
 
Tarleton led 38-30 at halftime while shooting 46 percent from the floor and holding A&M-Commerce to 31 percent shooting.
 
Camidge opened the second half with one of his career-best six 3-pointers. Camidge finished with a game-high 22 points, his fifth career 20-point game.
 
Although A&M-Commerce never led in the second half, the Lions kept it close by making it a 3-point game at 54-51 with 8:47 to go.
 
Chambers gave the Texans some breathing room by connecting on a pair of 3-pointers in a 1:30 span that was part of an 18-6 Tarleton run. Chambers finished with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and added five assists. Tarleton closed the game on a 24-10 run in the final seven minutes.
 
Anthony Davis scored nine of his 11 points in the second half while grabbing six rebounds and blocking a career-high two shots. Josh Hawley narrowly missed his first career double-double by posting 11 points and pulling down nine rebounds.
 
Romond Jenkins was his typical self on the glass, as the LSC-leader in rebounds grabbed 14 boards and scored five points for the Texans. Deshawn Riddick posted double figures in scoring with 10 points and dished out a game-high six assists.
 
Curtiss Anderson scored six points and had three rebounds while Kealon Clayborne had a bucket and two rebounds off the bench to round of the Texan scoring efforts.
 
For the game, Tarleton shot 49 percent from the floor and 46 percent on 3-pointers. The Texans are now 12-0 on the season when they shoot a higher percentage than their opponent.
 
The win also gave head coach Lonn Reisman 399 career victories in Wisdom Gym (399-65).
 
Tarleton will host Arlington Baptist for a non-conference matchup on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m.