Box Score

Season Stats

CANYON, Texas – The No. 8 West Texas A&M women's basketball team held visiting Truman State to just 33.3 percent shooting in the Lady Buffs' 63-49 victory in the first game of the 2014 WT PAK-A-SAK Thanksgiving Classic Friday evening.  With the win, the Lady Buffs improved to 3-1 on the year, while Truman fell to 3-2.
 
"I was really proud of our defensive energy and effort," head coach Mark Kellogg said.  "We lost a couple of their best players too much for my taste as they had 37 of their 49 points.  We competed on the defensive end and it's the first game we have really gotten after it defensively.  If we can defend like that, it will keep us in games.  Offensively, we didn't have a lot of rhythm, but we turned them over a bunch and got some early offense.  All in all, pretty good and I really liked the defensive effort."
 
The Lady Buffs now face No. 8 Harding tomorrow at 5 p.m. in the final game of the women's half of the tournament.  Harding (4-1) suffered its first defeat of the season, losing to Lone Star Conference member Cameron 76-70 in the first game of the day.
 
The Lady Buffs were led by 16 points from sophomore Sasha Watson as she was a team-best 7 of 14 from the field and 2 of 3 from the line, along with four assists and a career-high six steals.  Senior Chontiquah White added 11 points as did junior Madison McLain. 
 
WT shot 44.6 percent from the field on 25 of 56.  It was 6 of 13 from beyond the arc and 7 of 10 from the line.  The Lady Buffs had 29 rebounds along with 15 assists, a season-high 16 steals and 11 turnovers.
 
Truman State was led by a game-high 22 points from Courtney Strait.  She was 7 of 14 from the field with three triples and went 5 of 5 from the line.  Allie Norton had 15 points.  The Bulldogs were 14 of 42 from the field, but were 8 of 21 from beyond the arc and 13 of 16 from the line.  Truman tallied 34 rebounds, but had just nine assists to 23 turnovers.
 
WT held a 56-12 lead in points in the paint and points off turnovers outscoring Truman 28-6 in each category which proved to be a major key in the game.
 
White opened the game with her first made triple in her career.  Truman then scored eight of the next 10 points as WT mounted five fouls in the first three minutes. 
 
A big triple from senior Jordan Vessels tied the game at 12 with 11:44 left beginning a big run as WT went on a 13-0 run over the next seven minutes for a 25-15 lead capped from a jumper in the lane from senior Haylee Oliver. 
 
Three of four free throws from Truman were its only points until a bucket from Strait with 1:16 left for a 29-20 deficit.  The Strait field goal was the first field goal for the Bulldogs since the 15:44 mark –a field goal drought of over 14 minutes.  WT outscored Truman since the Vessels 21-8 for the half during the final 11:44.  Watson capped the half with a runner in the lane with two seconds left and a 31-20 lead.
 
Watson led the way at intermission with 11 points on 5 of 7 with a free throw.  WT was 13 of 28 from the field with two triples and three of three in free throws.  Truman was just 5 of 22 from the field, 3 of 12 from range and 7 of 9 from the line. 
 
WT increased the lead to 17 points on a jumper in the lane by senior Ariel Robertson with 15:42 left in the second half.  White's second triple of the game swelled the lead to 51-29 with 14:04 left.  Watson scored on a cutting layup for a 54-29 lead with 12:32 left for the largest lead of the game at 25 points.
 
Truman State continued to fight and used a 10-0 run of its own capped by a triple from Norton for a 54-39 deficit with 7:38 left.  McLain buried a triple for a 57-39 lead as WT settled for the 63-49 victory.