Jan. 24, 2007

Box Score

CANYON, Texas - Riding strong play down the stretch, the West Texas A&M men's basketball team posted a pivotal Lone Star Conference South Division victory on its home court Wednesday night, defeating Tarleton State by a score of 69-62.

The win improves WTAMU's overall record to 10-7 and its league mark to 2-1, while Tarleton State falls to 11-5 on the year and 0-1 in LSC South action.

Wednesday's contest did not get off to the start that Buff coaches and players envisioned, as WTAMU fell behind early by a score of 10-1. The slow start in the early goings of the game, in which they trailed by as many as 12 points, did not keep the Buffs down for long as WTAMU, behind senior Damien Lolar, outscored the Texans 28-22 from that point on to climb back into contention and send the game to the locker room down only three points at 32-29.

During the first half, Lolar contributed 11 points and three rebounds, while junior Tyler Cooper also added three boards to go along with seven first period points. Lolar finished the contest with 24 points on the night, while Cooper concluded play with 13 points.

Riding the momentum of their solid ending to the first half, the Buffs came out after the intermission with another charge taking their first lead, 39-38, on a bucket by Chris Hinz at the 17:10 mark.

The back and forth action continued in an exciting second half, the Buffs were strong, committing only two turnovers during the entire period, while forcing 10 TSU turnovers during the second half, giving the visitors 24 for the game. During the game's final 1:44 WTAMU oustscored Tarleton State 10-3 to seal the victory.

The next destination for the Buffs will be D. L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls, Texas, where they will battle LSC South foe Midwestern State on Saturday. Tip off the MSU contest is slated for 8 p.m. in what will be the first contest of a three-game road trip for the squad. WTAMU men's hoops' next home action will be Feb. 5 when they host border rival Eastern New Mexico at the First United Bank Center at 8 p.m.