Box Score

Season Stats

WICHITA FALLS, Texas  – A career-high 19 points from senior Zantaya Davis highlighted a 74-48 victory at Midwestern State for the No. 7/10 West Texas A&M Lady Buff women's basketball team Wednesday evening.  With the win, WT improved to 21-2 on the year and 10-2 in Lone Star Conference play.  MSU fell to 4-18 and 3-9 in league play. 
 
Davis narrowly missed a double-double with the 19 points on a career-best 9 of 11 from the field and nine rebounds.  She was 1 of 4 from the line as well.  Senior Michaela Neuhaus recorded her ninth-straight game in double figures with 12 points on 5 of 7 from the field and two triples.  Junior Sasha Watson had eight points and eight assists. 
 
The Lady Buffs shot 54.4 percent for the game on 31 of 57.  They were 6 of 15 from beyond the arc (40.0) and 6 of 11 from the line (54.5).  WT out-rebounded the Mustangs 37-29 and held a 44-22 lead in points in the paint and 20-14 in points off turnovers as the Lady Buffs forced 17 miscues. 
 
MSU shot 35.8 percent from the field on 19 of 53.   The Mustangs were 5 of 14 from beyond the arc and 5 of 11 from the line.  Whitney Taylor had a team-high 15 points on 6 of 11 from the field with a triple and two free throws, while Krishawn Crockett had 12 points. 
 
WT increased its lead in the league standings as Tarleton State upset Angelo State 65-50 Wednesday evening in San Angelo.  WT now leads ASU by 1.5 games as the Lady Buffs are 10-2 and ASU is 8-3 with Texas Woman's on the Rambelles heels at 8-4 and Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce tied at 7-5. 
 
With the win by the Lady Buffs, WT cut into the Midwestern State lead in the third annual Highway 287 Challenge Cup.  MSU now leads 8.5 to 5.5 this season. 
 
Midwestern State opened the game with a hoop-and-harm foul for Kathryn Odom, but the Lady Buffs, who had early foul trouble on Watson and senior Madison McLain, settled down and rattled off a 20-4 run over the next four seven minutes for a 20-7 lead with 3:14 left in the quarter.  Freshman Reagan Haynes buried a triple for a 27-13 lead with 31 seconds left in the period for the largest lead of the quarter. 
 
The Lady Buffs opened the game shooting 11 of 17 from the field and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, while going 2 of 2 from the line.  MSU was 6 of 13 in the opening period with most of its field goals early in the quarter and was 1 of 3 from range and 2 of 7 from the line. 
 
A layup from Davis, who had a team-high 12 points in the half, with 8:27 left in the second quarter was the first points of the period.  WT swelled the lead to a half-high 36-17 score on a triple from Haynes for her second of the game.  Davis scored the final bucket of the period for a 38-20 lead at half.
 
In the half, Davis was 6 of 7 from the field with three rebounds.  Decker added seven points on 3 of 9 from the field, but was just 1 of 6 from range.  WT shot 16 of 31 from the field for 51.6 percent and was 4 of 11 from beyond the arc and 2 of 3 from the line.  MSU was 8 of 27 from the field (29.6) and 2 of 7 from both beyond the arc and the line. 
 
The Lady Buffs led 22-10 in points in the paint in the first half and 12-8 in points off turnovers as MSU committed 10 minutes to eight for the Lady Buffs. 
 
The Mustangs battled back in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 11 at 51-40 on the back of 12, third quarter points from Crocket with two triples and 5 of 7 from the field, but the Lady Buffs weathered the storm and scored back-to-back buckets at the end of the quarter highlighted by an "and one" for sophomore Hannah Alexander and a 56-40 lead.
 
Both teams shot well in the third quarter as WT was 7 of 12 and MSU was.  MSU was able to cut into the deficit going 3 of 5 from range in the quarter, while WT was 1 of 2. 
 
Dating back to the final five points of the third quarter, the Lady Buffs swelled the lead to a game-high 20 on a jumper in the paint from Alexander and a 9-0 run with 8:03 left.  A steal by Alexander and layup from senior Michaela Neuhaus gave WT a 62-40 lead with 6:31 left as the run swelled to 11-0.  MSU hadn't scored since the 2:51 mark of the third quarter on a triple from Crockett.  Out of a timeout by MSU, Neuhaus got a steal and layup for a 64-40 lead with less than six minutes remaining.  Anni Scholl ended the run for MSU with a bucket in the paint for a 64-42 score with 5:29 left. 
 
The Lady Buffs closed the game on a 10-6 run for the 74-48 win.  WT returns home and will host Texas Woman's Saturday at 2 p.m. in the First United Bank Center.