Lions looking up midway through LSC schedule

With half the Lone Star Conference basketball schedule in the books, the Texas A&M University-Commerce men and women will have to make up some ground if they hope to reach the LSC Championship, set to take place in just over a month.

Currently, both teams occupy the conference cellar, but only the top eight teams on each side will have the chance to compete at the conference tournament, which will be played at the Allen Event Center in Allen.

The men's tournament will run from Feb. 29 through March 3, with the women competing from March 1-4. The tournament winners will receive automatic bids into the NCAA Division II National Championship tournament.

The A&M-Commerce women are 1-15 overall and 0-10 in LSC play, and have lost their last 12 games. However, the ladies are just three games behind the No. 8 spot, which is being held by Eastern New Mexico (3-8 in conference play). Texas A&M-Kingsville (2-8) and Abilene Christian (2-9) are in the ninth and tenth spots, respectively.

Tarleton State sits atop the women's league with a perfect 10-0 league record, followed by Midwestern State (9-1) then Cameron and Angelo State in a tie for third at 8-3.

The A&M-Commerce men appear to be in better shape than the women, but still have their share of work to do in order to climb the LSC ladder. The Lions are 6-11 overall and 1-8 in conference play, having lost their last four games.

However, with just 10 teams in the league compared to 11 on the women's side, the Lions are just a game back of the eighth spot, currently shared by Abilene Christian and Angelo State with identical 2-8 marks in league play.

The Lions are two games back from the No. 7 spot, where A&M-Kingsville resides with a 3-6 record.

Nationally-ranked Tarleton State is the leader on the men's side as well, sporting an overall record of 17-1 and a conference record of 9-0. The Texans have won 14 consecutive games, dating back to November.

Midwestern State sits in second with an 8-1 LSC record and 15-1 record overall. Cameron is in third at 7-3, with West Texas A&M and Incarnate Word tied for fourth at 6-4.

The Lions will have a two chances to improve their position this week, playing at Midwestern State on Wednesday before returning home Saturday to host Cameron at The Field House. The women will tipoff against Cameron at 6 p.m., followed by the men at around 8 p.m.

Keep track of the latest action in the Lone Star Conference at www.lonestarconference.org, or by following The East Texan at www.theeasttexan.com.