Jan. 17, 2007

West Texas A&M Men's Basketball Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

CANYON, Texas - After dropping a tough overtime contest to Lone Star Conference North Division leading Southeastern Oklahoma State its last time on the court, the West Texas A&M men's basketball team will be looking to return to its winning ways on Wednesday as it begins LSC South Division competition by squaring off against the Angelo State Rams at the Junell Center in San Angelo, Texas.

The Rams, under first-year head coach and WTAMU graduate Fred Rike, represent a very talented and dangerous squad in spite of their 5-9 overall record. WTAMU, meanwhile, enters the contest with a 7-6 overall mark and is led by head coach Rick Cooper, who is the veteran of 13 seasons of LSC play.

Despite the loss to the Savage Storm last Thursday, the Buffs have been playing well, emerging winners in five of their last six games. WTAMU would have had a chance to avenge the loss earlier, but last Sunday's scheduled contest with East Central was cancelled by conference officials because of unsafe road conditions.

Senior forward Damien Lolar will look to impress at ASU as he has all season long, as the Arkansas City, Kan., native is averaging a double-double with a LSC-leading 24.4 points per contest coupled with an average of 10.0 rebounds per game. Against the Savage Storm, Lolar was productive, despite not enjoying a great shooting night from the floor, contributing 14 points and 11 rebounds.

On the perimeter, senior guard Kevin "Chip" Green has stepped up his game, leading the team with 19 points against Southeastern Oklahoma, connecting on 7-of-12 field goals, a figure which included four three point field goals. The Philadelphia, Pa., native is averaging 15 points per game in his last two outings.

As a team, the Buffs have been deadly from behind the three point arc, ranking third in the LSC with a .381 team three-point shooting percentage. Individually, juniors Mike Baskerville and Tyler Cooper rank among the conference leaders with three-point shooting percentages of .419 and 412, respectfully.

After shrugging off some early season struggles the Buffs enter South Division play in a good position to make a run at defending last season's Lone Star Conference crown after claiming wins in five of their previous six contests.