Bears Pick up a Huge Road Victory to start the Second Half!

Tuesday, December 30, 2025: Men's Basketball

Lufkin, TX

The Baton Rouge Bears traveled to Texas this afternoon to open the second half of their 2025-2026 season against the Angelina College Roadrunners at Shands Gymnasium. Despite a slow start for both teams, the Bears secured a 60-53 victory over the Roadrunners.

The first half began slowly, with both teams struggling to find their rhythm after the Christmas holidays. The Roadrunners broke the scoring drought with a layup inside the paint at 16:18 remaining in the half, taking a 4-0 lead after five minutes of play. The Bears got on the board with a three-pointer from Jevion Sam at 14:48. The Bears later took their first lead when Nicholas Womack scored on a put-back and was fouled. This opened the floodgates for the Bears, who scored the next five points to take a 10-4 lead over the Roadrunners. The Roadrunners narrowed the gap to two points at 10-8 with 10 minutes left in the half. The Bears then went on a mini 5-0 run, extending their lead to 15-8, fueled by baskets and free throws from Tyrael- Cage Heke and Kentrell Freeman. With five minutes remaining, two free throws by Nicholas Womack pushed the Bears' lead to nine points at 19-10. The Roadrunners closed the half on an 8-4 run, finishing five points behind at 23-18.

At halftime, Head Coach Starks praised his team for their defensive pressure in the first half but encouraged them to be more aggressive offensively.

The Bears struggled at the start of the second half, with the Roadrunners forcing multiple turnovers that allowed them to tie the game at 25 with 17:58 to go. Over the next ten minutes, the teams exchanged three ties and eight lead changes, with neither team holding a lead larger than four points. The game was tied at 41 with seven minutes remaining when the Bears regained the lead with two free throws from Byrce Coleman. Noah Whitehead came off the bench to score the next nine points, extending the Bears' lead to nine points at 50-41. The Roadrunners pulled within six points at 56-47 with two minutes left, but the Bears tightened their defense and secured the victory by converting free throws. This marked the first time in program history that the Bears defeated the Angelina College Roadrunners, finishing with a score of 60-53.

Nicholas Womack led the Bears with a game-high 17 points, along with six rebounds, four assists, and five steals. The Bears had two players in double figures: Womack and Noah Whitehead, who added 12 points, three rebounds, and one assist off the bench. The Roadrunners were led by Daemon Ely with 14 points, with Ely and Payla both finishing in double figures for their team.

With this victory, the Bears improved to 6-9, while the Roadrunners fell to 8-4 for the season. Angelina College still leads the all-time series with 2 wins to 1 loss against Baton Rouge.

Bears Highlights

- Nicholas Womack: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals 

- Noah Whitehead: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist (off the bench) 

- Tyrael- Cage Heke: 9 points, 8 rebounds 

Up Next:

The Bears return to the Bears Den on Saturday, January 3, to take on the John Melvin University Millers. Tip-off is set for 2 PM.

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