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Buffs' Bid For Conference Title Comes Up Short With 77-62 Loss To TAMU-Commerce In Championship Game
March 5, 2005
COMMERCE, Texas --- The West Texas A&M University Buff basketball team's upset run through the Lone Star Conference Tournament came to a halt in the Championship game, as the Buffs were defeated by No. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce, 77-62, Saturday night at TAMU-C's Field House.
The fourth seed from the South, WTAMU had upset the North's top-seed University of Central Oklahoma in the quarterfinals on Tuesday and knocked off the South's second-seed Midwestern State University in the semifinals Friday, but the Buffs came up short in their bid to win their LSC-record sixth conference crown.
WTAMU, which came into the game with a four-game winning streak and winners of six of the last seven, had those streaks stopped as well, and now have a 16-14 overall record.
TAMU-C, which won its seventh-straight game and 14th in the last 15, as well as 16th-straight at home, finishing undefeated on its home court, improves to 25-4 overall and receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA-II South Central Regional. The Lions were the top-ranked team in last week's rankings and will most likely host the Regional Tournament next weekend.
WTAMU must sit and wait until the Regional field is announced Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. Central Time to see if the Buffs are among the eight teams playing for the right to represent the South Central Region at the Elite Eight.
The Buffs were making their ninth appearance in the LSC Final, including three in the last five years, as WTAMU was due to win the conference crown according to pattern after hoisting the trophy in 2001 and 2003.
The Lions were playing for the championship for the seventh time, winning their third LSC title since 1976, but first conference crown since 1978, when they were East Texas State. WTAMU has been a member of the LSC since 1986, while TAMU-C is the only original member of the LSC since its beginning in 1932. WTAMU senior guard Carl Lamb and classmate, forward Jamil Terrell were named to the LSC All-Tournament Team, as Lamb tallied 14 points, hitting 9-of-10 free throws, to go with three assists, while Terrell registered his 11th double-double of the year with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Senior forward Jason Campbell added 11 points and five rebounds, while junior guard Ronnie Holmes chipped in five points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Lions were led by LSC Tournament Most Valuable Player Jermart Miller with 24 points, hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers, and dishing out four assists. Allen Walker joined Miller on the All-Tournament Team, after posting 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Chris Fantroy added 11 points and five assists.
WTAMU shot 18-of-50 (36.0 percent) from the field, including 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) from behind the 3-point arc, while TAMU-C was 26-of-55 (47.3 percent) field goal shooting, draining 10-of-23 (43.5 percent) from 3-point land.
The Buffs were 22-of-31 (71.0 percent) from the free throw line compared to 15-of-24 (62.5 percent) for the Lions.
TAMU-C had a slight, 36-33, rebounding advantage, but WTAMU grabbed 11 offensive boards, as the Buffs had 18 second-chance points, while the Lions had 10 points off their nine offensive rebounds.
In the paint, TAMU-C had a 24-16 scoring edge and a 13-5 advantage in points off turnovers, but the Buffs' reserves outscored their counterparts, 25-14.
Holmes started the scoring with a fast break lay-up just 28 seconds into the game, as the lead changed hands seven times in the first eight minutes of the contest.
Terrell finished the oop from an alley by Lamb with an acrobatic lay-up to tie the score at 11-all with 11:56 to play, but TAMU-C went on an 18-6 run, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Miller and Fantroy, to take a 29-17 lead.
WTAMU closed to 30-24 with 3:46 left in the half after a 3-pointer from senior forward Richard Higginbotham at the top of the arc, but TAMU-C pulled away for a 36-27 halftime lead.
The Buffs charged out of intermission and again cut the gap to four at 38-34 as senior forward Jason Campbell scored all seven of WTAMU's points, but the Buffs couldn't get any closer.
With 13:16 left in the game and the Lions ahead, 45-36, tempers flared, as TAMU-C's Nick Goellner was called for traveling while attempting a dunk, which he badly missed, defensively contested by Lamb. Following the play, a TAMU-C cheerleader provoked a physical altercation with Lamb. The officials did not see it, and WTAMU assistant coach Russell Vanlandingham marched up the sideline pointing it out to the officials, and was issued a technical for leaving the coaches' box. The issue didn't stop there as 17 seconds later, both head coaches were assessed offsetting technicals as WTAMU head coach Rick Cooper and TAMU-C head coach Sam Walker were out of their coaches box discussing how to handle the situation.
Seven points would be the closest that the Buffs would get from there on out, as the Lions maintained a double-digit lead for the final nine and a half minutes of the game, to claim the victory and perform the championship ritual of cutting the nets.
LSC South All-Conference honors will be announced Monday.
LSC All-Tournament Team
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