| gobuffsgo.com |
|
WTAMU Rally Comes Up Short In 64-55 Loss To #23 Central Arkansas
Dec. 11, 2004
The West Texas A&M University men's basketball team closed an 18-point deficit to four with five minutes left but couldn't come all the way back in dropping a 64-55 decision to No. 23 University of Central Arkansas Saturday night at the WTAMU Event Center.
WTAMU is now 3-4 on the season, as Saturday was the Buffs' finale of a five-game homestand. WTAMU will head to Stephenville, Texas to take on Tarleton State University in a Lone Star Conference crossover contest on Monday, Dec. 13. The Buffs will then travel to Las Vegas, Nev. on Dec. 18-19, to participate in the High Desert Classic.
UCA was WTAMU's fourth-straight undefeated opponent and second nationally-ranked foe in three games. The Bears, playing in their first road game of the season, are now 7-0, one of 21 unbeaten teams in NCAA-II as of Dec. 7.
It was also WTAMU's second loss to UCA this season, as the Bears pulled out a 76-70 overtime win at UCA in the Buffs' season-opener on Nov. 19.
Saturday night, senior forward Jamil Terrell tallied 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds, coming up one rebound short of his fifth double-double of the season, to lead WTAMU.
Fellow senior forward Jason Campbell and junior guard Ronnie Holmes were making their season-debuts as they had one semester of eligibility.
UCA had three players in double-figures, led by Lee Reliford's 15 points and nine rebounds. Michael Monroe and Dewayne Hart netted 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.
WTAMU outrebounded UCA, 38-34, but the Bears shot 47.2 percent (25-53) from the field, including 16-29 (55.2 percent) in the first half, as UCA built a 36-23 halftime lead. The Bears were 5-12 (41.7 percent) from behind the 3-point arc, and were 52.9 percent (9-17) from the free throw line.
The Buffs were 17-53 (32.1 percent) from the field, including 3-18 (16.7 percent) from 3-point land. WTAMU was 18-22 (81.8 percent) from the charity stripe.
Turnovers continue to lead to the Buffs' demise, as they committed 22 blunders Saturday, which UCA converted into 25 points, while WTAMU turned 20 UCA turnovers into 19 points.
After the Buffs had their final lead at 6-5, the Bears opened up a 22-10 lead with 8:48 left in the first half on a jumper from Monroe.
WTAMU cut the gap to 24-19 on a pair of free throws from Jarvis Brown with 5:32 to go, but UCA closed out the half with a 12-4 run, capped by a jumper from the top of the key by Matt Williamson with two seconds left to take a 36-23 lead into intermission.
The Bears took a palondromic 53-35 lead at the 11:25 mark to open their largest lead of the game, before the Buffs chipped away. Junior forward Richard Higginbotham, followed by junior guards Steve Jackson and Govinda Thomas-Carter made consecutive sets of free throws to cut the gap to 51-43 with 9:39 on the clock.
Thomas-Carter capped the run by draining a 3-pointer to make it a four-point game at 55-51 with 5:03 left in the game, but UCA countered with a trey from Monroe on the Bears' ensuing possession to open a 58-51 lead and the Buffs couldn't recover.
Fans can listen to Buff basketball action on the Buffalo Sports Network on KGNC 710 AM, with broadcasts starting 15 minutes before tip-off. Fans can also listen to the broadcasts via the internet at www.gobuffsgo.com, the official web site of WTAMU Athletics. There, fans can additionally access rosters, schedules, statistics and press releases of the Buffs and Lady Buffs throughout the year.
|
