SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 11-ranked West Texas A&M men's basketball team won its first game in program history in the Elite Eight on Tuesday.  The Buffs now will face top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Ferris State (Mich.) Thursday at 6 p.m. in the first of two national semifinals for a berth in the NCAA Division II Men's National Championship, Saturday at 2 p.m.  The game Thursday will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
 
There will be no online video streaming of the game, check local listings for the channel for CBS Sports Network in your area.  The game will be broadcast on the radio throughout the Texas Panhandle with the voices of the Buffs, Kent Johnson and Lucas Kinsey, on 98.7 KPRF Lonestar FM.
 

The Buffs, seeded fourth in the Elite Eight, won their quarterfinal matchup with No. 5-seed Le Moyne Tuesday, 87-73, as WT had five players in double figures, led by a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds from junior Ryan Quaid as he was 8 of 11 from the field with one triple and 8 of 10 from the line.  Senior Jordan Evans buried five triples for 15 points, as he is six triples shy of breaking the Lone Star Conference all-time single-season triples record as Evans has 134 triples this season with the record being 139.  Senior All-American David Chavlovich finished with 14 points on 6 of 14 from the field, while draining two triples, with six assists and two steals.  Sophomore Drew Evans, in his first game back in the lineup\since the LSC Tournament, scored 13 points with a career-best seven rebounds and wen a career-high 8 of 8 from the line.  Junior Gach Gach scored 10 points as he has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 13 games.

 
WT shot 27 of 52 from the field (.519), while going 12 of 23 from beyond the arc (.522) and 21 of 23 from the line, including 14 of 15 in the second half after opening 7 of 8 from the line.  The Buffs held the Dolphins to just 41.8 percent shooting as Le Moyne entered at 49 percent from the field, while the Buffs scored 87 points as the Dolphins allowed just 62 entering the game. The 87 points by the Buffs was the second-most allowed by Le Moyne this season.  WT played lockdown defense in the second half, holding Le Moyne to just 31.6 percent shooting in the second stanza.
 
This is WT's first trip to the Elite Eight in exactly 20 years and second in program history as the Buffs now are 11-16 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.  WT won the Lone Star Conference regular season title for the first time since 1994 this year and won the LSC Tournament title for the first time since 2007.  The Buffs now are 1-1 all-time in the Elite Eight and will try and become the second team in LSC history to advance to the national championship game as former member Northeastern State won the national championship in 2003.  WT is the first LSC member to reach the national semifinals since 2015 when Tarleton State lost to Indiana (Pa.). 
 
Chavlovich was named a NABC All-America selection for the second time in his career this year, while earning Basketball Times All-America honors and was a Division II Conference Commissioners' Association All-America selection.  WT head coach Tom Brown was named NABC South Central Region Coach of the Year as he is in his fourth season at the helm of the Buffs with a 96-34 record.  Brown also earned his first Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year honor this season after guiding the Buffs to a 25-3 record in the regular season and a 15-3 mark in LSC play.
 
In the NCAA Tournament, the Buffs are averaging 88.5 points per game as the team is shooting .491 from the field on 110 of 224.  WT is 51of 116 from beyond the arc (.440) and 83 of 105 from the line (.790).  The Buffs are averaging 31.3 rebounds per game, while recording 56 assists, 30 turnovers, 13 blocks and 18 steals.  Conversely, teams are shooting .441 against WT on 105 of 238, while going 30 of 92 from beyond the arc (.326) and 55 of 79 from the line (.696). The opposition is outrebounding WT by a 5.7 margin (37.0), while the opponents have 48 assists, 50 turnovers, six blocks and 14 steals.  WT is allowing 73.8 points in the NCAA Tournament.  The Buffs have scored 80 or more points in three of the four NCAA Tournament games and have scored 90 points or more in two of them.
 
Chavlovich leads the team at 21.3 points per game in the tournament on 26 of 57 from the field (.456) leading four starters in double figures.  He is 15 of 32 from beyond the arc (.469) and 18 of 24 from the line (.750) with 25 assists, one block and seven steals.  J. Evans is second in scoring at 17.5 points on 20 of 37 from the field (.541), while going a team-best 19 of 34 from beyond the arc (.559) and 11 of 13 from the line (.846).  Evans is third in rebounding at 5.0 per game for the tournament. Quaid is averaging 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game to lead the team.  Quaid is shooting a team-best .676 from the field (23-34) and 16 of 21 from the line (.762).  Quaid has 10 offensive rebounds and 20 defensive boards for the tournament, along with 10 assists, one block and one steal.  Gach is averaging 11.5 points per game with eight triples.
 
Ferris State enters with a nation's-best 36-1 record after a hard-fought 87-84 win over No. 8-seed Barry on Tuesday.  Multiple All-American Zach Hankins had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the game as the Bulldogs shot 49.2 percent for the game on 32 of 65, while going 7 of 21 from beyond the arc and 16 of 26 from the line.  Drew Cushingberry had a game-high 20 points, while Peter Firlik added 18 points and DeShaun Thrower chipped in 11 against the Buccaneers. 
 
The Bulldogs also are making their first trip to the National Semifinals as Ferris State is 16-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament in its 13^th appearance.  Head Coach Andy Bronkema earned National Coach of the Year honors by Basketball Times is 121-41 all-time in his fifth season at the helm of the Bulldogs. 
 
This will be the first meeting between WT and Ferris State on the hardwood.  The game will be Thursday evening at 6 p.m. on broadcast on CBS Sports Network.  Check local listings for the channel for CBS Sports Network.  Links to live stats will be available at www.gobuffsgo.com on the men's basketball schedule page.
 
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