OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 27, 2020) – The basketball game couldn't have started much better for Oklahoma Christian on Thursday night against Texas A&M-Commerce, but it also couldn't have ended much worse for OC.

OC sprinted to an early 15-point lead, but then went ice-cold from the field and TAMUC took full advantage, taking control early in the second half and pulling away for a 69-55 win in the Eagles' Nest.

TAMUC (17-10, 13-8 Lone Star Conference) will host a first-round LSC tournament game next Tuesday, while OC (9-16, 8-13) still has work to do to qualify. The Eagles will enter Saturday's home game against Texas-Tyler (8-18, 5-16) in a five-way tie for 10th place, with the top 12 teams advancing.

The Eagles are tied with Cameron, which will be at No. 4-ranked West Texas A&M on Saturday; Eastern New Mexico, which will host Midwestern State Texas); Arkansas-Fort Smith, which will host TAMUC; and St. Mary (Texas), which will host No. 10-ranked St. Edward's (Texas). OC needs to win and for at least two of the teams it's now tied with to lose to avoid dealing with a tiebreaker scenario.

"We started off really well, but we didn't sustain it," OC coach Kendre Talley said. "You can't win without putting the ball in the hole. We struggled shooting, which is very uncharacteristic of us at home.

"We have to have short-term memory and focus on Saturday. We've got to win to get in. I think we're still in control of our own destiny. That's all it's about. We can't leave the court Saturday with any regrets. We've got to leave it all on the court. They want it and we (as coaches) want it for them. I think that's going to get us where we need."

The Eagles scored the game's first 10 points as TAMUC started the game hitting just one of its first eight field-goal attempts. A basket by Will Lienhard with 8:29 left in the first half put OC ahead 23-8 and it appeared they might cruise.

But over the next 21½ minutes of game time, OC made just three baskets. The Eagles held a narrow 30-27 halftime lead thanks to three free throws by senior Conner Johnson with 2.4 seconds left in the first half, but the Lions went ahead for good with 18:47 left on two free throws by Wayne Stewart, who led TAMUC with 23 points.

The Lions steadily built their lead and OC had no answer, shooting only 28.6 percent (6 of 21) from the field after halftime, compared to 61.1 percent (11 of 18) for TAMUC during that stretch. The Eagles also struggled from the free-throw line, making 13 of 23 (56.5 percent) for the game, while TAMUC went 20 of 25 (80 percent).

"We had a lot of good looks. We just missed shots," Talley said.

Lienhard did record his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. Fellow senior Marcus Blackwell scored 12 of his team-high 15 points in the first half for the Eagles, but the only other OC player to reach double figures was Dedrian Parmer Jr. with 12 points.

Deonta Terrell scored 13 points for the Lions while Leo Lara added 10.