Buffaloes survive UTPB 80-76 to claim LSC Championship - Mar 6, 2018

West Texas A&M dominated the day here in Frisco Sunday, capping off a championship sweep as the Buffaloes claimed the program's first Lone Star Conference Men's Basketball Championship title in 12 years with a hard-fought win over UT Permian Basin.
In a battle between the top two seeds, WT made crucial plays down the stretch, including a huge 3-pointer from David Chavlovich (5'11''-PG) to pull out an 80-76 win over the Falcons.
Chavlovich, who was named tournament MVP after recording 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists, drilled his 3-pointer with 22 seconds to play to give WT a 77-73 edge. A three-point play by the Falcons cut the lead to one, but in the final 10 seconds, UTPB had a shot to either tie or win but couldn't covert two layup opportunities. Gach Gach (6'4''-G) put the game away with two free throws in the final two seconds to secure the win.
It's the seventh overall tournament title matching Midwestern State for the most in league history and first for the Buffaloes since 2006, which also happened to be the last time the same school claimed both the men's and women's titles in the same year. Earlier in the day, the Lady Buffs cut down the nets after beating Tarleton State, 80-66.
But the second game of the day had much more drama. The Falcons actually held the lead for the most of the first half and early in the second. The game changed dramatically when WT's Jordan Evans (6'5''-G) drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game 60-60 with 8:05 to play. The Falcons were also called for an off-ball flagrant foul on the play, resulting in two more made free throws and a possession, which was another jumper by Evans. The seven-point play put WT in control and UTPB had an uphill battle from there. It got even worse for the Falcons, who lost two-time LSC Player of the Year Daeshon Francis (6'4''-G) with 6:38 to play. Francis scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds before fouling out, and was joined on the sidelines by both Josh Morris (6'7''-F) and Sammy Allen III (6'2''-G) to fouls as well. Allen nearly brought his team to victory with an impressive 17-point, 19-rebound effort. Zeldric King (6'8''-F) scored 13 points, including big buckets and free throws in the final five minutes.
Chavlovich and Evans were the two WT standouts on the all-tournament team, joined by McPherson and Allen for UTPB and Reggie Reid (6'0''-G-97) for Texas A&M-Commerce.

LSC Tournament Final: West Texas A&M - UT Permian Basin 80-76
LSC Tournament Semifinals:
West Texas A&M - Texas A&M-Commerce 73-63
UT Permian Basin - Tarleton State 83-55

Courtesy of LoneStarConference.org