The underdogs are rolling 7s in the first session of the LSC Basketball Championship Wednesday. West Texas A&M pulled off the second upset of the day as the No. 7 seed.

Thanks to a balanced scoring effort and a sizable rebounding advantage, the Buffaloes rolled past second-seeded Cameron 65-50 at the Allen Event Center. It was the first men’s game of the tournament and followed an exciting upset on the women’s side as No. 7 Texas A&M-Commerce edged No. 2 ACU 80-79.

West Texas A&M snapped a six-game winning streak by Cameron, which falls to 15-8. The Aggies are currently seventh in the latest South Central Regional rankings, with the top eight teams advancing to the regional tournament.

But West Texas came in ninth in the rankings and will likely improve with Wednesday’s win.
Kennon Washington led the Buffaloes with 16 points and also pulled in eight rebounds. But six other players had at least seven points, including nine apiece for Mason White, Darnell Jackson and Donald Sims, who had a team-high 15 rebounds.

Overall, the Buffaloes out-rebounded Cameron 44-31, including a 15-8 edge in offensive boards.
Cameron’s Craig Foster, the LSC Player of the Year, scored just 12 points on 3 of 11 shooting. Cameron only made 3 of 13 attempts from 3-point land. Rudy Harrell led the Aggies with 13 points and seven rebounds.

The Buffaloes jumped out to a 28-17 lead with 2:29 left in the first half. But Cameron closed the half with seven straight points before halftime and then continued the run in the second half to grab a quick 29-28 lead.

But West Texas A&M regrouped and picked up the pressure on defense. After leading just 37-35 with 13:09 left, the Buffs went on an 8-0 run to grab a 10-point lead and never looked back.

The Buffs will play the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal game between third-seed Tarleton State and sixth-seeded Eastern New Mexico.
 
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WEST TEXAS A&M NOTES

• - West Texas A&M improved to 17-3 all time in the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament quarterfinal round.
• - The Buffaloes have won opening round postseason tournament games in each of the last four years and in seven of their last eight appearances since 2005.
• - West Texas A&M has beaten Cameron in each of the programs four meetings in LSC postseason plays including wins in 1990, 1991 and 2011.
• - Cameron has been held to fewer than 60 points in just four times this season by NCAA Division II competition. West Texas A&M achieved the feat twice including a 57-38 victory on Dec. 8 in Canyon  and Wednesday's 65-50 victory Wednesday afternoon.
• - West Texas A&M advanced to face the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal winner between Eastern New Mexico and Tarleton State Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
• - Senior forward Donald Sims matched a season high with 15 rebounds.
• - West Texas A&M's balanced scoring attack produced seven players with scoring at least seven points including Kennon Washington (16), Darnell Jackson (9), Donald Sims (9), Mason White (9), Jordan Ashmore (8), Tez Dumars (7) and Barry Johnson (7).

 
Cameron Game Notes

• The 50 points scored is tied for the lowest output by a Cameron team in the LSC Championship tournament.
• With the loss Cameron moves to 3-9 all-time in the conference tournament.
• The loss snaps a six game winning streak for Cameron.
• Cameron is 0-4 all-time against West Texas A&M in the LSC Championship tournament.
• Rudy Harrell tied his career high in points with 13. The last time he scored 13 was against Oklahoma Panhandle on November 20, 2012.
• Tim Johnson scored nine points and scored at least eight points in the last nine games.
• Craig Foster, the LSC leader in assists with 5.9, was limited to only two. It is the third-lowest output of the season.