FRISCO, Texas – West Texas A&M men's basketball couldn't preserve a halftime lead as the Buffs fell to No. 22 Lubbock Christian 76-67 in overtime. The Buffs fall to 19-11 on the season while the Chaps improve to 25-7.
 
The Leaders
Two Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Saturday night led by a team-high 28 from Ahamed Mohammed. Narit Chotikavanic ended his day in double figures with 19 points. Chotikavanic also brought in a game-high eight rebounds and team-high two steals while Mohammed dished out two assists.
 
How It Happened
After LCU gained a brief 4-2 lead, a 12-2 run from WT put the Buffs up eight ahead of the under-12-minute media timeout. Now with a lead, the WT defense started to control the game where a 7-0 streak over two minutes extended the lead to 15 with 10 minutes to play in the first half. The Chaps would use a 7-0 run of their own to cut the lead in half. WT's lead would reach as high as 16 in the period before LCU cut the lead down to 10. With the clock winding down in the half, Mohammed drove down the lane, converting a layup before the period came to an end.
 
After halftime, both teams struggled to find the bottom of the bucket as a lone Chaps' field goal accounted for the only points for the first three minutes of the second half. A pair of free throws from each side broke the scoring drought, sending the game to the first media timeout of the period with the Buffs on top 37-29. The defensive battle continued over the game's next minutes as WT's eight-point lead held until the under-12 media timeout. Five points from Chotikavanic restored the double-digit lead with 10:37 to play, but LCU brought the game back within six a minute and a half later. The back-and-forth affair continued as the intensity started to pick up inside the Comerica Center.
 
With four minutes to play, a pair of free throws from the Chaps brought the Buffs' lead back down to four. After Ethan Duncan knocked down a fadeaway jumper to bring the game within two, Mohammed stepped into a three to restore the five-point advantage. As the game went under a minute to play, a Duncan layup cut the WT lead back down to two. With time winding down, Duncan tied the game with a layup, sending the heated contest to overtime.
 
In overtime, the Buffs couldn't find a rhythm offensively as LCU started to knock down its shots. The Chaps used early momentum gained in the period to defeat WT in the semifinal matchup.
 
The Buffs will learn their seeding and matchup with the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, March 9 at 10 p.m. Central.
 
Inside the Box Score

• The Buffs lead the all-time series with Lubbock Christian, 26-13.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 11-11 against the Chaps.
• WT shot 40.7% (24-of-59) from the field, 26.3% (5-of-19) from deep, 77.8% (14-of-18) from the charity stripe with 34 rebounds, five assists, three steals, two blocks, and 15 turnovers.
• Lubbock Christian shot 45.5% (25-of-55) from the floor, 20.0% (2-of-10) from the 3-point range, 85.7% (24-of-28) at the free throw line with 31 rebounds, eight assists, eight steals, four blocks, and nine turnovers.

 
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