Thornton’s buzzer beater waived off as West Texas A&M men’s basketball falls in South Central Regional Championship

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The West Texas A&M men’s basketball fell to Black Hills State in the South Central Regional Championship on Tuesday in a thriller.

West Texas A&M trailed 7-0 to start the game, but immediately bounced back on a 12-0 run to retake control of the game. That early 7-0 start by the Yellow Jackets proved to be the largest lead of the game with the rest of the contest being extremely back-and-forth. The lead changed a total of 14 times in the game.

With the game tied and four seconds remaining, Yellow Jackets guard Joel Scott drew the foul and knocked down one of two free throws to give Black Hills State the lead. After a West Texas A&M timeout, Damion Thornton got the ball with a chance to win the game. He drove towards the baseline and nailed a stepback fadeaway jumper, but the ball left his hand a fraction of a second too late and Black Hills State took the win.

Damion Thornton finished the game with an incredible 29 points on 10/15 shooting from the field.

With the win, the Yellow Jackets will move on to the Elite Eight in Evansville, Indiana. The Division II Elite Eight will begin on March 21st.

Copyright 2023 KFDA. All rights reserved.