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CANYON, Texas – A strong second half performance at home for the West Texas A&M men's basketball team on Wednesday night earned the Buffs a second-straight win as they defeated Pittsburg State, 72-63. Senior guard Tez Dumars led the way with 19 total points, including 10-straight to close out the first half and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, as WT improves to 2-3 on the season and 2-0 at home in the First United Bank Center (FUBC). With the loss, the Gorillas fall to 1-3 on the year.
 
"We started out very flat early on but I think these guys did a great job of rallying together to close out another big win for us," stated Dumars. "My teammates were able to set some really big screens tonight for me to get open and they were just able to keep getting me the ball."
 
Wednesday's contest would be the first of the season for the Buffs to score under 80 points as they tallied 72 on the night; however, it would be the second-straight holding opponents to 63 or fewer points.
 
"Anytime you hold your opponent to scoring in the 60's, you should always have a pretty good chance to beat them," commented first-year head coach Tom Brown. "They were a very physical and aggressive team the entire game and we really had to battle back with them several times. We had a rocky start but I give our guys a lot of credit for withstanding that early test and rebounding very well later in the game."
 
Senior Miles Gatewood converted on three of his seven attempts from long range to pour in 11 points while also shooting 4-for-9 from the field. After missing Saturday's contest, freshman David Chavlovich made his return to the hardwood with a 12-point showing. The Buffs were supported tonight with their strongest bench showing of the season as WT's non-starters totaled a season-high 22 points. Freshmen Jeff Bonner and Carl White put in six points apiece while Amarillo, native, Garrett Brockman tallied seven, going 3-for-4 from the floor.
 
"Every day I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable in this new offense and with this new team and the same goes for the rest of these guys," added Bonner. "We are all learning and adjusting in different ways and we seem to be coming together in a good way and its starting to show on the court."
 
In the early going, both teams traded buckets in the opening minutes before Gatewood broke free for a fast-break layup to knot the score at 8-8 with 12:30 on the clock. The Gorillas then stormed to a 10-0 run to grab the lead at 18-8 around the 8:43 mark.
 
Freshman Tommy Gove would then break the run with a big 3-pointer from the right side. The Buffs forced a turnover on PSU's next possession and setup a play for a slam dunk by Ball running parallel to the baseline to cut the deficit to five.
 
With 4:13 on the clock in the half, Chavlovich tied the game up at 23-23, completing a 15-5 run for the home team. Dumars would then score 10 straight points for WT, including two trips to the line, as the Buffs went into the locker room with the 33-29 advantage.
 
At the break, Dumars led all scorers with 12 total points as he went 3-for-9 from the field and converted on all six of his free-throws. Chavlovich and Gatewood each added five as well. The Buffs took advantage in grabbing points off of PSU turnovers in the first half, taking 15 to the Gorillas' four.
 
The Buffs played much better defensively in tonight's first half. While the visitors shot .619 from the field, they were only able to put 29 points on the scoreboard.
 
Gatewood would come out of the break with a bucket from beyond the arc to set the second-half tempo early for WT. Their lead would not fall below five for the first six minutes of the half until PSU briefly snuck within three at the 14:19 mark after a few buckets by Jake Bullard and Lamine Dieng.
 
Over the next three minutes, WT would pull ahead slowly to an 8-to-12 point lead that they would consistently hold for the remainder of the contest.
 
With 4:39 left, the Buffs would lose some size in the shorthanded lineup with 4:31 remaining in the contest, as freshman Carl White fouled out with six points, two rebounds, two assists, along with a block and a steal. Two buckets later it seemed the Gorillas may have a final surge left in the tank but Brockman, subbing in for White, was able to quiet the visitors with his first collegiate triple, followed by a turnover leading to a Dumars fast-break bucket, to regain control for the home team and seal the 72-63 victory.
 
With the win, the Buffs retake the all-time series with PSU, 4-3.
 
WT will return to action right after the holiday as it hosts the 2014 WT Pak-A-Sak Thanksgiving Classic at the FUBC in Canyon, featuring LSC rival Eastern New Mexico, Emporia State, and Harding. The Buffs will face off against Harding on Friday evening, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m. They will then battle the Hornets of ESU on Saturday, Nov. 29, also at 7 p.m. Live stats, video, and audio will be available for both contests. Links can be found on www.GoBuffsGo.com via the men's basketball schedule page.