Box Score Season Statistics STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The West Texas A&M men's basketball team gave up a late second-half lead as it fell to No. 15 Tarleton State on the road, 76-71. The Buffs struggled shooting the ball on the night going just .390 from the field and .250 from beyond the arc with seven makes, a place they average nearly 10 from per game on the season. With the loss, WT falls to 11-7 overall and 2-3 in Lone Star Conference play. The Texans now improve to 15-2 (3-2, LSC) with the victory inside Wisdom Gymnasium in Stephenville, Texas.
Freshman
David Chavlovich led the way for all scorers in the game with 26 points. He went 8-for-20 from the floor and 6-for-14 from 3-point range with three rebounds and two assists. Senior
Antjuan Ball would add 17 points with six rebounds.
WT would only find the net on two of its final eight attempts from the field as it fell to TSU by five in the end. In total, the Buffs went 24-for-61 from the field compared to 22-for-41 (.540) for the Texans. WT has struggled in rebounding overall this season but held the margin to just one tonight, trailing in the overall category, 34-33, while holding the advantage on the offensive glass 15-6. That would help the Buffs to 19 second-chance points to the Texans' nine.
The Buffs opened up the night with a quick 5-2 lead over the Texans with a midrange jumper by Ball and make on Chavlovich's first 3-point attempt. TSU would bring the score to 7-7 before regaining the lead at 10-7 heading into the first media timeout on the night.
After coming out of the break, freshman
Carl White drained a triple to put WT up 12-10; however, the home team ran out to a 11-0 run that featured 4-for-4 shooting from the field as the Texans started off 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. That would give TSU the 21-12 lead with 9:39 remaining as WT went scoreless for over four minutes with eight fouls called within the first 10 minutes.
Chavlovich then got hot from the perimeter with back-to-back 3-pointers, making him 3-for-3 from deep at that point, to help WT go on a 7-0 run, pulling the score back to 21-19. The Texans would then grab a free-throw and bucket in the paint to go up 24-21 leading up to the under-eight media timeout with 7:09 remaining in the first.
Both squads traded buckets over the remainder of the half before TSU took an eight-point lead, going up 37-29 over the Buffs with just over two minutes remaining. Chavlovich would drain another triple to help send the Buffs into halftime down by just five, 39-34.
Chavlovich led all scorers at the break with 14 points off of 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. White would add eight points for the Buffs along with three boards and an assist. The Buffs shot just .380 from the field (10-for-26) in the first half compared to .520 (11-for-21) for the Texans. Both squads were knotted at 15 rebounds apiece through 20 minutes of play on the hardwood.
WT opened up the second half with a 10-3 run thanks to six points by Ball and a jumper by Chavlovich. That would make the score tied at 44-44 around the 15:38 mark. TSU would respond on a 7-0 run before the Buffs made a 6-0 streak to bring it back with one point, trailing 51-50 at the under-12 media timeout with 11:19 on the clock.
A layup by freshman
Jeff Bonner along with five-consecutive points by Chavlovich gave WT a 7-0 run to retake the lead for the first time in the half, putting the Buffs up 57-53, forcing a timeout on the TSU bench with 9:30 remaining.
At the under-eight media timeout, the Buffs were hanging on to a 59-57 lead with 7:41 left. Chavlovich then drilled the triple on the fast break to go up 62-57. TSU would respond; however, with an 11-0 run, making the score 68-62. The Buffs attempted to come back but could not cut it back within six as the final score fell 76-71 in favor of the home team.
The contest tonight was played as part of "Suits & Sneakers" week under the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in benefit of the American Cancer Society. With the result, the Texans even up the all-time series with WT, 23-23. WT has now lost six-straight in Stephenville and five-straight overall to the Texans.
WT will return to action this Saturday, Jan. 24, as it hosts Texas A&M-Commerce at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. The Lions own a 14-3 overall record and 3-1 mark in LSC play. The Buffs lead the all-time series with TAMUC, 47-27; however, have lost two straight. Live stats and a free video webstream will be available courtesy of West Texas A&M Athletic Media Relations. Fans can listen to the game as always by tuning into 98.7 Jack FM. Live updates will also be available by following @wtathletics on Twitter.
