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Jan. 5, 2008

Box Score

CANYON, Texas - After taking a 36-31 lead into halftime, the West Texas A&M men's basketball could not hold on to claim its ninth victory of the season as it dropped a 75-65 decision to the visiting East Central Tigers at the First United Bank Center on Saturday evening. The loss drops the Buffs overall record this season to 8-5 on the year while ECU improves to 7-4.

The Buffs did not get off to the start they envisioned, falling behind 7-0 to the visiting Tigers before a three-point field goal by Cooper at the 18:04 mark got them on the scoreboard.

WT battled back from the early deficit to draw even at 11-11 on a short jumper by Robert Lee with 13:55 remaining in the first half. Tyler Cooper gave the Buffs their first lead of the day, 14-11, at the 11:28 mark as he drained a shot from long distance to spark a 7-0 run by the home squad.

Following the run by the Buffs, the Tigers continued to chip away at the lead until they eventually tied the game at 20-20, but junior guard Demetrice Fuller stepped up for the home team by draining a three to regain the home advantage. The basket was the beginning of a 6-0 run by the Buffs, leaving them with a 26-20 lead.

The Tigers would hold strong during the remaining minutes of the first half, but strong play by Fuller, who led the way with 10 points off the bench, helped the Buffs take a 36-31 lead into the break. The WT bench was able to outscore the Tigers by a 17-8 mark in the first half.

During the second half, the Buffs' shooters went cold - not registering a field goal until a lay-up by Chris Hinz with nine minutes left to play - allowing ECU to build a 10-point advantage at 47-37 before the bucket. The Buffs attempted to rally, cutting the lead to five, 47-41, on a second consecutive lay-up by Hinz at the 7:35 mark, but that would be as close at WT could get, as they were outscored 44-29 in the second half.

Leading the way for the Buffs in the loss was senior guard Robert Lee, who contributed 17 points and posted a perfect 8-of-8 mark from the free throw line. Hinz and Fuller also recorded double figures for the Buffs, ending play with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The next chance to catch the Buffs in action at home will be on Jan. 16 when WT jumps into Lone Star Conference South Division action with a date against Angelo State. Prior to that, the Buffs will hit the road to battle LSC North foes Cameron and Southwestern Oklahoma.