CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M has six different players score double-figures as the #24 Buffs shot 50% from the floor to outlast the rival Greyhounds of Eastern New Mexico, 92-86 in front of 876 fans at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas. The Buffs win their fifth straight contest to improve to 10-1 (2-0 LSC) while the Greyhounds fall to 4-5 (0-2 LSC) on the season.
 
The teams traded misses to start the game before a WT miss from deep that turned into a Shawn Shelton fast break slam but the Buffs responded with a David Chavlovich trey from the top of the key at 3-2, Andre Hughes knocked down a jumper followed by a Ryan Quaid bucket and a Joe Clark jumper before Chavlovich banked in a jumper at 7-7. The teams traded turnovers before a CoRnell Neal layup gave ENMU the lead before Quaid hit two freebies at 9-9, the Hounds missed from deep followed by a Tommy Gove three from the top of the key before another ENMU miss and foul heading into the first media timeout of the game with 15:46 left and WT leading 12-9.
 
The Buffs turned the ball over on an inbound play as Lamarquis Thompson hit two freebies followed by a WT miss from deep and a Marquise Harris three-point play at 12-14, Jordan Evans answered with a layup followed by a Hounds turnover but WT gave the ball right back but Skyler O'Laughlin rejected an ENMU jumper that led to a Drew Evans fast break layup. Eastern responded with a bucket followed by a WT offensive foul and a Thompson three from the corner at 16-19. The Buffs missed from deep but ENMU gave the ball right back with a turnover as Quaid grabbed an offensive board and finished with a bucket heading into a media timeout with ENMU leading 19-18 with 11:37 left in the first half.
 
Byrale Carter hit one-of-two at the line followed by turnovers on both ends followed by ENMU missing two free throws before Chavlovich hit a three at 24-19, Eastern hit a free throw followed by O'Laughlin hitting one-of-two at the line before a Hounds turnover led to D. Evans hit one-of-two run the WT lead to 26-20 heading into a media timeout with 7:30 left in the half. Arcaim Lallemand hit two at the line followed by Joseph Prince hitting two freebies before misses on both ends followed by an Eric Golightly Jr. steal-and-score to run the WT lead to 29-22 with 6:04 left in the half, Eastern gave the ball back with an illegal screen as D. Evans hit two free throws followed by an ENMU miss as J. Evans hit two freebies at 33-22.
 
Eastern ended their scoring drought (2:28) with a free throw followed by an ENMU foul as D. Evans knocked down two at the line followed by a WT foul as Carter hit two free throws by D. Evans responded with a drive down the baseline for a layup at 37-25, Harris responded with two freebies followed by a WT turnover heading into the final media timeout of the first half with 3:45 left and WT leading 37-27. The teams traded points at the free throw line followed by an offensive foul on the Buffs heading into an ENMU timeout with 2:44 left and WT leading 39-29.
 
Gove picked off an ENMU pass as D. Evans hit a transition three from the corner followed by an Eastern free throw before Clark's steal-and-slam followed by a WT turnover, Carter hit two freebies before Gove answered with a three from the wing at 45-34 heading into a WT timeout with 48.1 second left. The Buffs missed after the timeout followed by a Hounds bucket as WT took the last possession of the half but a miss from deep sent the teams into the locker room with the Buffs leading 45-36.
 
The Buffs went 13-of-32 (40.6%) from the floor including 5-of-16 (31.3%) from deep and 14-of-17 (82.4%) from the charity stripe to go along with 22 rebounds (nine offensive, 13 defensive), seven assists, 10 turnovers, one block and four steals. D. Evans went 3-of-4 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line to lead the Buffs with 12 points followed by Chavlovich with 11.
 
Eastern New Mexico went 9-of-20 (45%) from the field including 2-of-6 (33.3%) from deep and 16-of-25 (64%) from the free throw line to go along with 12 rebounds (one offensive, 11 defensive), three assists, nine turnovers, no blocks and five steals. Harris went 2-of-6 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the free throw line to lead the Greyhounds with seven points at the break.
 
The teams traded misses to start the half before Chavlovich found Carl White for a transition layup followed by an ENMU jumper at 47-38, White responded with a floater in the lane followed by misses on both ends before Shelton hit one-of-two at the line with 18 minutes left. The Buffs missed from deep followed by a Hughes long ball from the top of the key before Chavlovich connected on a jumper at 51-42, White rejected an ENMU attempt that led to a fast break slam by the sophomore followed by a Neal bucket before White knocked down two at the line at 55-44 heading into a media timeout with 15:47 left.
 
White found Golightly Jr. for a layup after the break followed by a Hounds bucket and two Golightly Jr. freebies at 59-46, D. Evans found Gove in the corner for a transition long ball followed by two ENMU freebies before a J. Evans board-and-score with 13:43 left. The teams traded misses followed by Eastern hitting one-of-two at the line followed by a Golightly Jr. acrobatic layup at 66-49, ENMU hit a three followed by a Chavlovich jumper in the paint before a Golightly Jr. steal led to a free throw by the senior at 68-52 with 12:35 left. Neal responded with a layup before Golightly Jr. hit a three from the corner at 72-54 before Harris hit a jumper heading into a media timeout with WT leading 72-56 with 11:16 left.
 
Chavlovich found Gove in the corner for a long ball after the break followed turnovers on both ends before Neal knocked down a three from the top of the key, the Buffs gave the ball back with an offensive foul as Neal added to his point total with a layup followed by a WT miss and another Neal bucket at 75-63. White hit two freebies followed by a Hounds bucket before Chavlovich connected on a pull-up jumper at 79-65, Eastern missed a jumper followed by an illegal screen call on the Buffs that led to an ENMU layup. WT gave the ball away as Eastern turned it into points with a fast break layup heading into a media timeout with 7:11 left and WT leading 79-69.
 
Neal hit two free throws after the break followed by an O'Laughlin offensive board and foul as the senior hit one-of-two at the line followed by an Eastern bucket at 80-73, Chavlovich hit one-of-two at the line followed by a Neal bucket and foul as the senior finished off the three-point play before misses on both ends before Chavlovich connected on a layup at 83-76. White grabbed another defensive board that led to Quaid hitting one-of-two at the line with 4:42 left, Eastern answered with a bucket followed by a WT turnover and Hounds fast break layup before Chavlovich hit a jumper heading into a media timeout with WT leading 86-80 with 3:42 left.
 
Eastern hit two free throws after the break followed by misses on both ends before White grabbed a big offensive board that led to a J. Evans bucket at 88-82 to force an Eastern timeout with 2:19 left, Neal hit two freebies followed by a WT turnover before White rejected an ENMU attempt that led to a Quaid bucket and foul to force a ENMU timeout with 1:35 left and WT leading 90-84. Quaid missed the free throw attempt but White grabbed an offensive board followed by a Gove miss from deep but Quaid kept the possession with the Buffs, Quaid's board-and-score sealed the win as ENMU missed from deep followed by a WT miss and Hounds layup to give WT the 92-86 win.
 
The Buffs went 30-of-60 (50%) from the floor including 8-of-28 (28.6%) from deep and 24-of-35 (68.6%) from the free throw line to go along with 43 rebounds (15 offensive, 28 defensive), 14 assists, 19 turnovers, four blocks and seven steals. Chavlovich went 9-of-16 from the floor to lead the Buffs with 22 points with five other Buffs scoring double-digits.
 
ENMU went 27-of-55 (49.1%) from the field including 5-of-15 (33.3%) from deep and 27-of-39 (69.2%) from the charity stripe to go along with 24 rebounds (five offensive, 19 defensive), seven assists, 12 turnovers, no blocks and nine steals. Neal went 7-of-13 from the floor to score 20 points followed by Harris with 16 and Shelton with 14.
 
UP NEXT
The Buffs end their six-game homestand on Tuesday night as they take on the Falcons of UT Permian Basin with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. at the First United Bank Center in Lone Star Conference action. The Falcons (9-1, 2-0 LSC) rolled past Western New Mexico, 90-56 on Saturday afternoon in Odessa.