LSC Roundup 11-27

Football News
Area Colleges: SHSU searches for defensive coach
It's no secret Todd Whitten's failure at Sam Houston State was an inability to fix its defensive woes. Whitten, fired as football coach Monday after the Bearkats finished 5-6, tried to resolve the issue in the offseason by replacing former defensive coordinator Duane Dirk with Scott Stoker, Northwestern State's coach for the previous seven seasons.

But the problem worsened.
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The next coach likely will be someone with a strong defensive background, unlike Whitten, who was an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach early in his career.

Some possible applicants being mentioned are Tarleton State coach Sam McElroy, Louisiana-Lafayette defensive coordinator Kevin Fouquier, Central Missouri coach Willie Fritz and Pittsburgh linebackers coach Joe Tumpkin. All but Tumpkin applied for the Sam Houston job along with Whitten in 2005.

Men's Basketball News
Rams taking aim at a 7-0 start for 2nd straight year
As expected, the Angelo State men’s basketball team is off to a fast start this season. The Rams are 3-0 after victories against Texas-Permian Basin, Texas A&M-International and Lone Star Conference rival Southeastern Oklahoma.

They will try to keep their perfect record intact this weekend when they travel to Las Vegas, N.M. for the New Mexico Highlands Classic. ASU will face Fort Lewis on Friday and New Mexico Highlands on Saturday.

Should the Rams win those two games, they will be two wins away from matching their 7-0 start from a year ago.

'Shell-shocked' Buffs try to change fortune
It's hard to imagine a college basketball team in America looking forward to its home opener more than the West Texas A&M Buffs. WT (1-3) closed out its season-opening four-game road swing with a 77-71 overtime loss at Oklahoma Panhandle State.

The Buffs debut at home against Texas-Permian Basin (0-2) in the opening day of the Holiday Inn WT Thanksgiving Day Classic at noon today at the First United Bank Center in Canyon. WT coach Rick Cooper said his team, with two returning starters, is looking for consistency.

"We are a little shell-shocked right now," Cooper said after the loss to Panhandle State, which led by as many as 13 points. "We've played four games on the road, had hoped to go 3-1, and we are coming home at 1-3. We just need to get better. We need to take a look at who's taking our shots and who is making them."

Women's Basketball News
Gerlich: Lady Buffs passing early tests
West Texas A&M Lady Buffs head coach Krista Gerlich learned a lot about her team last week at the Al Kaly Classic at Pueblo, Colo. WT beat Metro State by 13 points after trailing by one at halftime on Day 1. The next night, the Lady Buffs beat CSU-Pueblo by four points in overtime after trailing by three at halftime.

''I wasn't sure how much fight we had in us,'' Gerlich said. ''But after those two games, I saw quite a bit. We trailed at halftime in each game and played well in the second half of each to win them.''

The Lady Buffs (3-1) are back home this weekend as they host the WT Thanksgiving Classic beginning today at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.

Women End Arkansas Trip
The Southwestern Oklahoma State University women's basketball team finished off its two-day road trip through Arkansas with a Wednesday matinee matchup with Arkansas Tech University. The Bulldogs were beaten 98-68 by the Golden Suns.

The loss dropped SWOSU to 0-5 on the year while ATU remained unbeaten through four games. SWOSU will next play again on Thursday, Dec. 3 against Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.