Coach Cooper earns 500th win despite Shaun Umeh’s 37 point performance.
West Texas A&M and Incarnate Word are considered to be two of the best shooting teams in the Lone Star Conference. Feb. 23’s showdown at the First United Bank Center did not disappoint. The Buffs and Cardinals battled the entire 40 minutes, with WT coming out on top 81-71. The win clinched a berth in the LSC tournament for the Buffs, and earned head coach Rick Cooper his 500th career victory.
Incarnate Word jumped out to a 17-9 lead with a 9-0 run seven minutes into the first half. The Buffs immediately responded with a 9-2 run of their own to bring the score to 19-18. WT would take their first lead since the first five minutes of the game on a layup by junior Lionel Foster, giving the Buffs a 31-30 lead with three minutes remaining in the half. The Buffs would take a 37-32 lead into the locker room.
The Buffs would not lose this lead the entire second half. Two free throws by junior Courtney Carr in the last 22 seconds would seal the game for WT. Foster and senior LaDarius Hall led the Buffs with 17 points apiece. Senior Jacquiese Holcombe and Carr had 15 points and 12 points, respectively. Incarnate Word’s junior Shaun Umeh had 37 points, more than half of his team’s points.
“He’s just a great player,” Head Coach Rick Cooper said of Umeh’s performance. “He came in with a game plan to beat us and nearly executed it.”
Despite Umeh’s great performance the Cardinals were eliminated from LSC tournament contention, while the Buffs clinched their spot thanks to Midwestern State’s defeat of Angelo State.
“The most important thing is that we qualified for Bartlesville,” Coach Cooper said. “It means more that we get the chance to play on.”
With a spot in the LSC tournament clinched, a few improvements could still be made.
“We just need to continue to play good basketball, have no turnovers, use good shot selection and keep our defensive integrity – the things good basketball teams do,” Coach Cooper said.
The Buffs will have their final chance to practice during the regular season at Eastern New Mexico on Feb. 26 at 9 p.m.
