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GAME NOTES: WTAMU Faces NSU Tuesday In LSC Tournament Quarterfinal
March 2, 2004
The West Texas A&M University men's basketball team, the defending Lone Star Conference Champions, enter the LSC Tournament as the No. 3 seed from the South and will travel to Tahlequah, Okla. on Tuesday, March 2, to face the No. 2 seed from the North, and defending NCAA-II National Champion, Northeastern State University. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at NSU's Dobbin Field House.
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
The Buffs will be making their 11th-consecutive LSC Tournament appearance, all under head coach Rick Cooper, and 15th LSC Tournament appearance overall. WTAMU has won five LSC titles, three of them under Cooper.
WTAMU clinched a spot in the tournament by Angelo State knocked off Abilene Christian, and locked up the No. 3 seed by edging Abilene Christian, 67-66, Thursday, coupled with fourth-place Midwestern State's loss to second-place Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Complete LSC Tournament Bracket in PDF Format
Fans can tune into the Buffalo Sports Network, on KGNC 710 AM or streamed on the Internet at www.gobuffsgo.com.
About The Teams
The Buffs are 18-9 overall and ended division action with an 8-4 LSC South mark. WTAMU takes a five-game winning streak into the postseason, their second-longest run this year.
WTAMU locked up third-place in the South on Thursday, when the Buffs edged Abilene Christian, 67-66, as junior guard Carl Lamb hit the second of two free throws with 1.7 seconds left to give WTAMU the win. The Buffs had four players in double-figures, led by junior forward Richard Higginbotham's career-high 18 points, to go with a game-high nine rebounds, helping WTAMU to a 39-33 rebounding advantage.
On Saturday, WTAMU came from behind to knock off Angelo State, 77-72, as Lamb netted a career-high 25 points, including 18 in the second half, as the Buffs overcame a 35-31 halftime deficit.
Northeastern State is 17-10 overall, finishing North division play with a 9-3 record. The Redmen have won seven of their last eight games, including crushing Cameron, 84-62, Saturday. Darnell Hinson, who leads the conference and is 12th in the nation in scoring, netted 31 points, a game after tallying 46 points in an 80-77 home loss to Southwestern Oklahoma on Thursday.
The Coaches
WTAMU head coach Rick Cooper (Wayland Baptist, 1981), who is in his 10th year at the helm of the Buffs, is WTAMU's all-time winningest head coach. Cooper became WTAMU's all-time winningest coach with the Buffs' win at Southwestern Oklahoma on Jan. 8 for win No. 207, passing Sam Burton's 206 wins from 1921-1933. With a 217-99 (.687) record, Cooper currently is fourth on WTAMU's Best Winning Percentage list. In his 17 years as a collegiate head coach, Cooper has a 369-147 (.715) career record.
Cooper is a three-time LSC Coach of the Year (1993-'94, 1997-'98, 1998-'99), as well as NABC South Central Regional Coach of the Year (1997-'98).
The Buffs have won three LSC titles under Cooper and been to the NCAA Regional Tournament five times, including three in the last four years.
Northeastern State head coach Larry Gipson (Heidelberg College, 1974) has a 152-53 (.741) record at NSU, leading the Redmen to last year's NCAA-II National Championship. Gipson previously had coaching stints at Toledo and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College, where he recorded a 217-87 mark and led NEO to the 1989 NJCAA National Championship. Counting his junior college ledger, Gipson has a career record of 437-213 (.672).
About WTAMU
The Buffs are 18-9 overall and ended division action with an 8-4 LSC South mark. WTAMU takes a five-game winning streak into the postseason, their second-longest run this year.
WTAMU locked up third-place in the South on Thursday, when the Buffs edged Abilene Christian, 67-66, as junior guard Carl Lamb hit the second of two free throws with 1.7 seconds left to give WTAMU the win. The Buffs had four players in double-figures, led by junior forward Richard Higginbotham's career-high 18 points, to go with a game-high nine rebounds, helping WTAMU to a 39-33 rebounding advantage.
On Saturday, WTAMU came from behind to knock off Angelo State, 77-72, as Lamb netted a career-high 25 points, including 18 in the second half, as the Buffs overcame a 35-31 halftime deficit.
As a team, WTAMU ranks second in the conference in 3-point FG pct. (.385) and fifth in 3-point FG made (204, 7.5 pg), as well as third in both field goal pct. (.477) and free throw pct. (.715).
The Buffs rank 30th in the NCAA-II statistics in 3-point FG pct., as well as 30th in field goal pct.
WTAMU also leads the conference in blocked shots (107, 4.0 bpg).
Taking care of the ball is an attribute for victory for WTAMU, who is 10-1 when committing fewer turnovers than the opposition, but is 6-8 when committing the same or more turnovers. The Buffs are second-to-last in the league in turnover margin (-2.67).
On the season, 6-1 senior guard Rod Prater leads the Buffs with a 19.5 points per game average, which ranks second in the LSC and 31st in the nation in scoring. He also is seventh in the conference in 3-point FG made (64, 2.5 pg), as well as eighth in free throw percentage (.755), sixth in steals (1.88 spg) and seventh in assists (3.32 apg).
Eduardo Caviglia, a 6-4 senior guard, nets 10.6 ppg. Caviglia is fifth in the conference and 36th in the country in 3-point FG pct (.414), and is 10th in the league in 3-point FG made (63, 2.42 pg).
The third member of the Buffs' three-guard attack is 6-1 junior guard Carl Lamb, who is 24th in the LSC in scoring with 12.3 ppg. Lamb also ranks third in free throw percentage (.796), as well as ranking fifth in assists (4.0 apg) and 10th in 3-point FG pct. (.408).
Inside, Richard Higginbotham, a 6-7 junior forward, pulls down a team-high 6.4 rebounds per contest, which ranks 11th in the conference. Higginbotham would rank in the top five in the conference in FT pct (.815), but he doesn't meet the required minimum of 2.00 FT per game.
Carlos Silva, a 6-8 junior forward, leads the LSC and is ninth in the country in blocked shots (69, 2.55 bpg). Silva would lead the conference in field goal percentage (.643), but he also doesn't meet the minimum of 3.0 FG per game.
The third post player for WTAMU, 6-4 senior forward Jason Campbell, is 18th in the league in rebounding with 5.7 rpg and is 27th in scoring with 11.6 ppg.
WTAMU On The Road/NSU At Home
The Buffs are 7-6 on the road this season, having won six of their last nine road contests, after losing the previous three.
WTAMU has lost its last two trips to Tahlequah, including 67-42 earlier this season on Dec. 4.
NSU is 8-5 at home this season, having its four-game winning streak snapped by Saturday's loss to Southwestern Oklahoma, 80-77.
About NSU
Northeastern State is 17-10 overall, finishing North division play with a 9-3 record. The Redmen have won seven of their last eight games, including crushing Cameron, 84-62, Saturday. Darnell Hinson, who leads the conference and is 12th in the nation in scoring, netted 31 points, a game after tallying 46 points in an 80-77 home loss to Southwestern Oklahoma on Thursday.
NSU leads the LSC in scoring defense (57.1 pg), field goal percentage (.492), 3-point field goal percentage (.432), 3-point field goal percent defense (.295) and rebounding defense (28.9 rpg). The Redmen rank second in the nation in scoring defense, sixth in 3-point field goal percentage, 25th in field goal pct. and 41st in field goal pct. defense. NSU is also second in the league in scoring margin (+8.4) and 3-point field goals made (216, 8.0 pg).
Darnell Hinson, 6-1 senior guard, leads the LSC and is 12th in the nation in scoring (23.6 ppg), as well as leading the league and 21st in the country in 3-point field goal pct. (.469). Hinson also ranks second in the LSC in steals (2.13 spg), 11th in both assists (3.17 apg) and field goal pct (.536).
Derek Cline, 5-10 senior guard, leads the LSC in 3-point field goals made (85, 3.15 pg), and is second in 3-point field goal percent (.469).
Collin Pitcock, 6-3 freshman guard, is third in 3-point field goal percentage (.423), as NSU holds the top three rankings in that category.
Shiloh Shores, a 6-7 junior forward, ranks fifth in the league in field goal pct. (.565) and is 15th in free throw pct. (.733).
Buffs-Redmen Series History
WTAMU leads the all-time series, 5-4, but NSU has won four of the last six meetings, including 67-42 earlier this season on Dec. 4. However, WTAMU's two wins in those six games were both in the postseason.
This will be the third time the Buffs and Redmen have faced off in the LSC Tournament, with WTAMU winning the previous two meetings, which were both in the semifinals. The Buffs won, 60-49, in 2000, at Tahlequah, to advance to the title game, where they lost to Midwestern State. Last year, WTAMU upset No. 4 NSU, 78-56, at Portales, N.M., to advance to the championship game, where the Buffs upset a Top 5 team for the second night in a row, knocking off No. 2 Tarleton State, 69-61, to win the LSC Championship.
In the semifinal win over NSU, WTAMU had four players in double-figures, led by Rod Prater's 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Chris Bracey came off the bench to score 15 points and snare eight rebounds. The Redmen had two players in double-digits, led by 14 points from Shon Robinson.
NSU rebounded from the loss to storm through the NCAA-II Tournament and win claim NSU's first national Division II title in any sport and first-ever basketball national championship in the 67-year history of the program.
WTAMU-NSU Last Meeting:
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The West Texas A&M University men's basketball team found themselves in a huge first-half deficit and couldn't recover, as the Buffs lost to Northeastern State University, 62-47, Dec. 4 at Tahlequah, Okla.
WTAMU did not have a player in double-figures, as senior guard Rod Prater and junior forward Carlos Silva had nine points each in WTAMU's Lone Star Conference opener, as the Buffs evened their record at 3-3.
The defending NCAA-II national champion Redmen, who improved to 5-3 on the year, were led by Darnell Hinson's game-high 21 points, while Shiloh Shores added 12 points and Derek Cline added 10 points.
NSU's starters outscored WTAMU's starting five, 56-34.
The Redmen held a slight 14-11 lead with 13:26 remaining in the first half, before reeling off a 23-6 run take a 37-17 lead with 1:50 left on a lay up by Shores, and took a 39-21 lead into halftime.
The deficit reached 48-26 in the early stages of the second half, before the Buffs closed to 56-45 with 3:34 to play on a 3-pointer by senior guard Eduardo Caviglia, but couldn't get any closer.
WTAMU shot 46.5 percent (20-43) from the field, but were a paltry 4-18 (22.2 percent) from 3-point land.
NSU shot 27-47 (57.4 percent) from the floor, and outrebounded WTAMU, 26-19.
The Buffs also committed 17 turnovers in the game, including 11 in the deciding first half.
Last Action:
SAN ANGELO, Texas - The West Texas A&M University men's basketball team turned back the Angelo State University Rams, 77-72, Saturday, in a Lone Star Conference South division contest and the final regular season game for both teams, as WTAMU junior guard Carl Lamb netted a game and career-high 25 points.
Lamb tallied 18 second-half points in leading WTAMU from a 35-31 halftime deficit, and also tied a game-high by pulling down eight rebounds.
Senior forward Jason Campbell posted 17 points, 11 in the second half, while senior guard Eduardo Caviglia and Rod Prater added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Junior forward Richard Higginbotham tied Lamb with a game-high eight rebounds for WTAMU, which enters the LSC Tournament as the No. 3 seed out of the South with an 18-9 overall and 8-4 LSC South mark.
The Buffs will travel to Tahlequah, Okla. on Tuesday, March 2, to face the No. 2 seed from the North, Northeastern State University, 17-10 overall, 9-3 in the LSC North. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at NSU's Dobbin Field House.
Angelo State, which finished the season 12-15 overall, 2-10 in LSC South action, suffers its first losing season in six years and also leaves head coach Joe Esposito at 99 career wins. Saturday night the Rams were led by Nate Gordon's 23 points, followed by 17 points from Matt Hardin.
WTAMU had a shortlived lead at 9-8 with 13:37 remaining in the first half on a pair of Lamb free throws, but then trailed the majority of the remaining time, again taking a short lead at 36-35 48 seconds into the second half on two free throws by Campbell.
However, the Rams retook the lead shortly thereafter, opening a 43-38 lead at the 16:48 mark. After a 3-pointer by ASU's Gordon tied the game at 50-50, Prater gave the Buffs the lead for good, hitting one-of-two free throws with 10:42 to play.
WTAMU extended the lead to 65-58 with 4:15 remaining on a Campbell free throw.
ASU pulled within 73-70 on another 3-pointer from Gordon with 16 seconds left, but Higginbotham gave the Buffs secured the win by hitting two free throws with 14 seconds on the clock.
Buffs' Next Action
If WTAMU wins Tuesday, the Buffs would travel to the highest remaining North seed for the LSC semifinals on Friday, March 5, and take on the winner of Southwestern Oklahoma-Eastern New Mexico quarterfinal.
Fans can catch the action on the Buffalo Sports Network on KGNC 710 AM and www.gobuffsgo.com.
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