Heading into Saturday’s semifinal round, only one player in the LSC had recorded a triple-double, but injuries limited his action for Texas A&M-Commerce.
Fitting, they turned to their other all-conference player, who found a way to match the feat.
Willie Rooks posted 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Lions to an 88-79 win over Angelo State Saturday afternoon at Comerica Center. The triple-double is the first in LSC Championship play since the conference moved the tournament to a neutral site in 2008.
But it wasn’t the first such game for A&M-Commerce this year, as Reggie Reid turned in a 16-12-13 performance against Eastern New Mexico on February 21.
However, Reid only played three minutes of the second half, nursing an injury that limited the All-LSC second-team guard to just three points.
But thanks to Rooks, an All-LSC first-team pick, the Lions were in good hands. He not only scored 13, but found two players off the bench to help out in the scoring department. Deonta Terrell scored 21 points and Austin Grandstaff had 17 points. Trey Conrad added 16, while Rodney Brown pitched in with 10.
The Lions (23-7) will advance to the LSC Championship final game on Sunday at 1 p.m. to face the winner of West Texas A&M and Tarleton State.
A&M-Commerce should be locked into the regional tournament next week, as they entered the week ranked fifth and now have won two games. A win on Sunday would give them an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
The Rams also should be in good shape, ranked sixth this week in the regional ranking before winning Thursday’s. ASU is now 22-8 and will wait for a bid later Sunday night.
ASU still put four players in double figures on Saturday, led by 22 points from Klair Crouch, who drilled six 3-pointers and also had eight rebounds and five assists. Ronald Bell had a double-double off the bench with 14 points and 10 boards. Collin Turner added 14 points and Daron Mims scored 13.
Texas A&M-Commerce Notes:
- Rooks’ triple-double is the second for A&M-Commerce this year, second for the LSC and the 20th in NCAA Division II.
- Rooks set a career-high in assists with 10, easily surpassing his previous-best of six, which he recorded three times earlier this season.
- The Lions improve to 32-35 all-time in LSC Championship play. The 32 victories rank second in the conference history, behind West Texas A&M, which entered the tournament with 35 wins.
- The Lions are seeking their first LSC Championship title since 2015, when they won three games as the No. 4 seed and cut down the nets in Allen, Texas for the fourth time in school history.
- This will be the 10th time A&M-Commerce has reached an LSC Championship final.
- Rooks responded from just a six-point effort on Thursday, which snapped a 16-game streak of at least 10 points.
- Before Saturday’s triple-double, the closest Rooks had come to that feat was against Cameron on Feb. 7 when he scored 13 points, had 12 rebounds and six assists.
- With 17 points off the bench, Grandstaff has now scored in double figures in three straight games for the first time this season.
- The Lions doubled up the Rams in the paint, outscoring ASU 36-18.
Angelo State Notes:
- The Rams fell to 23-29 all-time in LSC Championship play. The 23 victories rank fourth among all LSC schools.
- The loss extends ASU’s streak without an LSC Championship title since 1989, when the Rams cut down the nets in the tournament played in San Angelo.
- Mims, an All-LSC honorable mention selection, went over double-digit scoring for the sixth straight game with 13 points.
- Klair Crouch tied his season high with six 3-pointers made, marking the third time to hit a half-dozen triples in a game.
- The Rams had made 31 free throws in their quarterfinal win Thursday, but barely hit half of that on Saturday, connecting on just 16 of 20 attempts from the stripe.