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WICHITA FALLS, Texas – A six-game winning streak for the West Texas A&M men's basketball team came to an end as the Buffs fell to rival Midwestern State, 73-58, in their Lone Star Conference opener on the road at Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls, Texas. After trailing by 21 in the second half, the Buffs managed to pull within nine of the Mustangs; however, a late push would not be enough as WT falls to 9-5 on the year and 0-1 in LSC play in its league opener. MSU improves to 13-3 on a current nine-game winning streak and moves to 2-0 in LSC competition.
 
The Buffs were led in scoring by senior Miles Gatewood with 16 points off 5-for-15 shooting from the field while adding five rebounds, five assists, and a steal. Fellow senior Tez Dumars added 12 points and went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. WT would finish the night going 21-for-61 from the field (.344) compared to 28-for-57 (.491) for the Mustangs.
 
Despite a size disadvantage the Buffs pressured inside the paint early in the first half as they were able to draw two quick fouls on MSU. The Mustangs grabbed the early 2-0 advantage off a shot by Abiodun Adegoke; however, on the ensuing possession, Dumars found freshman Carl White on backdoor cut for the reverse layup, making the score 2-2 at 17:38.
 
Right before the first media timeout, White would go back to work, driving down the court and slicing two Mustang defenders inside the paint for a nice lay-in directly in front of the basket at 15:50. That would make the score 6-4 in favor of MSU.
 
The Mustangs rolled to a 7-2 run to make the score 15-8 heading into a timeout at the 10:28 mark. A layup by freshman Tommy Gove and triple by freshman David Chavlovich cut the deficit to two; however, the Mustangs answered with a bucket of their own from deep followed by a big slam dunk by Adegoke to preserve the lead. Another bucket by Khapri Alston would open up the largest lead for MSU in the half at nine with 7:09 on the clock.
 
A couple of 3-pointers by Chavlovich and redshirt freshman Rylan Gerber would help pull the Buffs back within one of the home team, making the score 24-23 at the 4:07 mark. MSU would then score the final six points of the half, including two big dunks off the fingers of Adegoke. That would send WT into the break down 30-23.
 
Chavlovich would score a team-high six points in the opening half as he converted on two of his six attempts from beyond the arc. Dumars, Gatewood, and White would each add four points. The Buffs could not come up with an answer for the big guys down low as Adegoke, a 6'-9" senior forward from Buford, Ga., poured in 11 points to lead all scorers at the break. He went 5-for-5 from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
 
The home team tallied eight of the first 10 points of the half extending its streak to a 14-2 run. Gatewood would then answer with a deep three from beyond the top of the key to make the score 38-28 at 17:48 on the clock. MSU would quickly quiet the Buffs with back-to-back triples to grab a 44-28 advantage, completing a 20-5 run spanning both halves.
 
MSU would then grab its first 20-point advantage with a layup by Kevin Wagner at 13:50, giving it the 51-31 lead. WT would not be out of it though as the Buffs responded with a 9-0 run heading to the under 12-minute mark, forcing a timeout on the Mustang bench. Gatewood drew the foul on an attempt from long range and knocked down all three free-throws followed by another triple by Gerber. That would make the score 52-40.
 
WT cut the home team's advantage to 10 at the 9:39 mark at 55-45 and then once again with 6:20 remaining as junior Jeff Bonner grabbed a layup in traffic with an ensuing free-throw on the foul. That would make it 59-49; however, the Buffs continued to struggle in their attempt at cracking single digits.
 
Gatewood would finally pull them within nine with another deep 3-pointer at 2:30 but MSU answered back with a couple more quick buckets to extend the lead once again. The Mustangs would hold on to finish with the 73-58 decision.
 
MSU did a large portion of its damage down low as it outrebounded WT 48-28 on the night and outscored the Buffs 46-26 in the paint. MSU also held a 19-8 advantage in second-chance points.
 
With the loss, WT falls to 31-29 in the all-time series with MSU. The Mustangs have also won seven consecutive at home over WT. The Buffs' last win inside Ligon Coliseum came on Feb. 13, 2008, that being an 86-63 decision. MSU also extends its home winning streak to 13 games with the win tonight.
 
MSU now leads in the Highway 287 Challenge Cup, 7-5, after picking up two points tonight from wins in both men's and women's basketball.
 
WT will return to action this Saturday, Jan. 10, in its LSC home opener against Cameron. The Buffs and Aggies will tipoff at 4 p.m. from the First United Bank Center (FUBC) in Canyon, Texas.  The Buffs hold a 28-12 advantage in the all-time series; however, dropped both meetings to the Aggies last season. Live stats and a free video webstream will be available courtesy of West Texas A&M Athletic Media Relations. Fans can also tune into the game on 98.7 Jack FM. Live updates will also be available by following @wtathletics on Twitter. Links can be found on www.GoBuffsGo.com via the men's basketball schedule page.