Local Sports Headlines – Buffs Fall in Sweet 16

Top-seed and 11th ranked Colorado School of Mines ended the West Texas A&M men’s basketball season with an 88-63 decision in the South Central Region final last night in Golden, Colorado.

The Buffs struggled from the field, shooting just 35.6 percent and hit just six of 24 shots from beyond the arc, while Mines shot 58.6 percent on their home court. WT senior Eric Golightly, Jr. had a team-high 20 points. David Chavlovich and Ryan Quaid each added ten points.

WT ends the season with an impressive 26-9 record and reached its first Sweet Sixteen since the 1997-98 season. WT went a perfect 15-0 at home this season under third year head coach Tom Brown.

- The West Texas A&M women’s basketball team will be No. 8-seed in the Elite Eight next week and open with top-seeded Ashland University.

The Lady Buffs and Eagles battle at 5 p.m. next Tuesday on the campus of Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. This is the first year the NCAA has re-seeded teams following the regional round. Ashland is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation with a 34-0 record averaging 93.9 points per game.

- NCAA First Four games began Tuesday night with Mount St. Marys edging New Orleans 67-66 and Kansas State topped Wake Forest 95-88. Two more games will be played tonight - North Carolina Central takes on UC-Davis and USC will face Providence.

– West Texas A&M’s Rellie Kaputin has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Women’s National Field
Athlete of the Year. At the Indoor championships last week, Kaputin won the triple jump, finished second in the long jump and ended up sixth in the high jump. She becomes the first student-athlete in school history to earn the honor.