EVANSVILLE, Ind. – West Texas A&M men's basketball advanced to the program's third NCAA Division II Final Four with a 90-76 victory over the North Georgia Nighthawks on Tuesday night. With the Elite Eight victory, the Buffs improve to 30-4 on the season.
The 30-win season is the fourth in program history and first since the 2019-20 season.
The Leaders
Four Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Tuesday night led by a game-high 25 from
Larry Wise.
Ryland Holt (21),
Zach Toussaint (19) and
Ahamed Mohammed (18) also ended their night in double figures. Mohammed recorded his first collegiate double-double, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds while Wise dished out seven assists.
How It Happened
The Buffs started the game with seven straight points, holding the Nighthawks scoreless for the game's first 3:13 of game time. After North Georgia's first bucket, WT rattled off an 11-0 run before the Nighthawks snapped the run. Although the Buffs' shooting started to cool off, strong defensive stands helped WT build a 15-point lead. Ahead of the under-eight media timeout, a Toussaint floater extended the Buffs' lead to 17. The Buffs continued to lead by double digits as the game went to the under-four media timeout. In the final minutes of the first half, North Georgia attempted to cut into the WT lead but couldn't do so as the Buffs took a 44-32 lead into the locker room.
After halftime, the Nighthawks started the second half with an 11-5 streak, bringing the game back within single digits. Just as North Georgia looked to tie the game a three from deep by Holt followed by a steal-and-score from Mohammed pushed the WT lead back to eight. With 11:37 to play, a three from AJ White put the Nighthawks in front by two only to have Wise answer with a floater off the backboard. With North Georgia starting to control the momentum, Mohammed went the length of the court to convert a layup while drawing a foul on the play. After the media timeout, Mohammed converted the free throw to put the Buffs back in front by two.
Sensing the urgency in the game, a Holt three and offensive foul by the Nighthawks allowed WT to get the ball in the hands of Toussaint who drained a three. After extending the advantage back to eight, North Georgia hit a three to cut into the lead, only to be answered by Holt once again. With 3:15 to play, a pair of free throws from Holt pushed the lead back to double digits. Holding the lead, the Buffs drained the clock while locking up the Nighthawk offense to seal the victory.
Inside the Box Score
- WT leads the all-time series, 1-0.
- Head coach Tom Brown moves to 1-0 against the Nighthawks.
- WT shot 49.2% (29-of-59) from the field, 36.1% (13-of-36) from deep, 86.4% from the charity stripe with 35 rebounds, 16 assists, five steals, two blocks, and six turnovers.
- North Georgia shot 48.4% (31-of-64) from the floor, 25.0% (5-of-20) from the 3-point range, 69.2% at the free throw line with 30 rebounds, 14 assists, two steals, and seven turnovers.
- Zach Toussaint is now 15th in Division II history in three-point field goals made.
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UP NEXT
The Buffs move on to face top-seeded Minnesota State in the Final Four. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the Ford Center.
