ORANGE, Calif. – In a game plagued by turnovers and cold shooting, the third-ranked West Texas A&M Lady Buff women's basketball team overcame both as it opened the 2016-17 season with a hard-fought 50-42 victory over the University of Mary (N.D.) at the Conference Commissioners Association Division II Tipoff Classic.

The Lady Buffs now will face No. 2 California Baptist tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. CT in the second game of the tournament as Cal Baptist also won Friday with a hard-fought 84-77 win over Simon Fraser. 

WT shot just 34.1 percent for the game on 15 of 44 and was just 2 of 15 from beyond the arc (13.3), but was 19 of 22 from the line for an 86.4 clip.  Senior Sasha Watson tallied a game-high 18 points on 3 of 7 from the field and 12 of 13 from the line, while senior Alie Decker added 13 points on 5 of 11 from the field, 2 of 6 from beyond the arc and 1 of 2 from the line.  Senior Lilley Vander Zee pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to go along with seven points.  WT had 31 rebounds in the game with 13 on the offensive end and recorded just nine assists and 22 turnovers with four blocks and six steals.

Mary was led by 11 points from Hannah Larson as she was the lone Marauder in double figures.  Larson was 4 of 7 from the field and 3 of 5 from the lien with four rebounds, two assists and three steals.  Mary went 17 of 47 from the field for 36.2 percent, while going 3 of 6 from beyond the arc and 5 of 10 from the line.  The Marauders committed 26 turnovers as WT held a 27-15 lead in points off turnovers, but Mary held a 24-22 lead in points in the paint and 11-2 in bench points. 

The Lady Buffs led 9-8 after the first quarter and 17-14 at halftime as WT opened the game just 3 of 12 in the first quarter and 7 of 23 for the half from the field, while Mary was 4 of 12 to open and 6 of 21 for the half.

The 51 points scored by WT was the lowest since scoring 50 in the Elite Eight loss to Emporia State to end the 2014-15 season in a 65-50 loss in Sioux Falls, S.D.  The 42 points allowed by WT marked the second-straight year WT has allowed 42 points in the season-opener as WT posted a 65-42 win at Colorado Mines last season to begin the 2015-16 season.

Watson hit her 15^th point early in the fourth quarter breaking a 32-32 tie, but Dani Williams buried a triple for a Mary 35-34 lead at the other end.  Watson then added a layup and foul putting WT back in front 37-35 with 8:09 left.

After a couple of opportunities by the Lady Buffs to build on the lead, which went for not with missed shots, Mary called a timeout with 7:05 left trailing 37-35.  A triple from Decker broke a scoreless drought of over three minutes giving WT a 40-35 lead with 5:35 left.  It was just the second made triple by the Lady Buffs in the game to that point (2-14).

Mary made its first field goal since early in the quarter on a layup from Larson off an offensive rebound for a 40-38 deficit on the old fashion three-point play.  Larson then picked up her fifth foul of the game as she fouled out with 3:49 left.  She was the Marauders' only player in double figures.

WT junior Sydney Walton scored a big bucket, her first of the game and of her WT career, with 3:27 left stretching the lead to 42-28 and earned the "and one" For a 43-38 lead.  Following the eighth rebound by Vander Zee, Decker scored with 2:19 left for a 45-38 lead forcing the Marauders into a timeout with 2:11 remaining. 

Walton hit two free throws with 41 seconds left to put WT up 48-38 Mary answered with a jumper at the other end for a 48-40 score with 37 seconds left and a timeout.  Mary used its last timeout and junior Madison Parker came up with her first steal of the game with 30 seconds left and a timeout by the Lady Buffs.  Walton scored seven points all in the final 3:27 and went 5 of 5 from the line down the stretch.