LSC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: Angelo State falls to No. 2 seed WT in quarters
After pulling off an upset against West Texas A&M in the only regular-season meeting, No. 7 seed Angelo State University dropped an 83-73 decision against the No. 2-seeded Buffaloes in a Lone Star Conference Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal Thursday in Frisco.
The Buffs were clinging to a 40-39 halftime advantage before outscoring the Rams 43-34 the rest of the way.
ASU was leading 45-44 at the 16:26 mark of the second half, but the Rams never led again.
WT improved to 26-6 and advanced to Saturday's semifinals against No. 6 seed Midwestern State. ASU dropped to 20-9.
Tyrell Carroll paced the Rams with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Paul Williams (17) and Lathaniel Bastian (11) also scored in double digits, and Bastian pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.
Julius Brown did the bulk of the damage for the Buffs, finishing with a game-high 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting. He was 4 of 5 from long range and a perfect 6 of 6 at the free-throw line.
Larry Wise (17), Hayden Blankley (15) and Zach Toussaint (11) also finished in double digits for WT.
Both teams shot 43% from the field.
The Buffs finished with a 49-34 rebounding edge.
The Rams will now find out if they will earn a bid to the postseason. The NCAA Division II selection show is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
ASU was ranked No. 5 in the most recent South Central poll, and the top eight teams will get a postseason berth.
Three Rams earn all-LSC honors
All-conference honors were announced Wednesday night, and Carroll, Williams and Bastian made the list.
Carroll, a junior guard, earned second-team honors, and he was also named to the all-conference defensive team.
This is the second-straight year for Williams, a graduate student, to be honored. The Rams guard was named to the third team.
Bastian, a sophomore guard who is in his second season with the Rams, received an honorable mention.
Charles Bryce is a journalist covering sports in West Texas. Send him a news tip at cbryce@gannett.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: LSC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: Angelo State falls to No. 2 seed WT in quarters
