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Dec. 8, 2007

Box Score

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The West Texas A&M men's basketball team returned to its winnings ways on Saturday and improved its overall record to 7-3 on the year by defeating Northeastern State, 64-53, in Lone Star Conference crossover action at Jack Dobbins Field House.

The Buffs were lead by junior point guard Kyle Shields, who notched a game-high 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting form the floor, while senior forward Chris Hinz pulled down a game-high six rebounds and contributed 12 points in the victory.

In the game's opening minutes, it was the Riverhawks who started off hot as they got a pair of early three-point baskets to jump out to an 8-2 advantage. The surge would not last long as a lay-up by Andre Hill at the 13:59 mark kick started a 17-2 Buff run that featured back-to-back three-pointers from Clint McFall and left the Buffs with a 19-10 lead.

A three-pointer by NSU's Mike Bontrager at the 4:52 mark cut the Riverhawks' deficit to only three at 23-20, but the Buffs would close out the half on a 10-3 run with a jumper by Shields in the closing seconds sending the teams to the locker rooms with the visitors from Canyon leading, 33-23. For the half, WT held an impressive 18-0 edge in points in the paint and 16-8 advantage in rebounds on their way to out rebounding NSU 31-17 for the game.

Following the intermission, the Buffs got baskets from Shields and senior guard Pierre Barlow to claim the first four points of the second half and stretch their lead to it its biggest margin of the night at 37-27. The resilient Riverhawks, however, did not fade in the face of the large deficit as they rallied to score 22 of the game's next 31 points, cutting the WT lead to only one on a pair of free throws by Bontrager at the 9:19 mark.

That was be as close as NSU, which lost the lead for good at the 12:29 mark of the first half, got to retaking the advantage, with the Buffs closing the game on a 18-8 run to secure the victory.

"It's never good to lose a 14-point lead and make things so close," said Buff head coach Rick Cooper. "They were able to take advantage of our turnovers in the second half and make things tough for us. We have got to a better job of playing a complete game. That is something we need to work on but we've got a chance to do that when we return home to face a really good Lubbock Christian team on our home court. All that being said, it was really nice to see us persevere and get a win on somebody else's floor."

Fans have one final chance to catch the Buffs before the Christmas break on Monday, Dec. 17, when WT hosts the Chaparrals of Lubbock Christian in a 7 p.m. match-up at the First United Bank Center.