PORTALES, N.M. – Ryan Quaid scored a career-high 30 points as #15 West Texas A&M lead from the opening whistle in their 74-69 victory over rival Eastern New Mexico on Tuesday night at Greyhound Arena in Portales, N.M. The senior also moved up to fourth on the all-time scoring list with a layup with 13:35 remaining in the game to pass Reggie Ramey.
THE BASICS
The Matchup: #15 West Texas A&M 74, Eastern New Mexico 69
Records: #15 West Texas A&M (19-3, 8-1 LSC), Eastern New Mexico (7-10, 4-5 LSC)
Venue: Greyhound Arena
Location: Portales, N.M.
The Greyhounds had no answer for Quaid in the first half as the senior scored 18 points going 8-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-4 beyond the arc. After scoring the first five points of the game for the Buffs, the senior would connect on his second three-pointer of the contest at 9:37 giving him multiple threes in a game for the first time since Dec. 6 against Lubbock Christian. He continued to dominate in the paint as well scoring eight of the final nine points of the half for the Buffs as they lead by nine, 35-26, at the intermission.
The Buffs continued to find Quaid in the paint to start the second half with the big man scoring five of the first seven points. A 11-3 run that spanned more than three minutes pushed to the lead to a game-high 13, 49-36, capped off with a three-pointer from Gach Gach with 12:29 remaining in the game. The lead would remain in double figures until the final minutes of the contest when ENMU hit a pair of three-pointers to cut the lead to four, 67-63 with under a minute to go. Brandon Hall would not let the Greyhounds get any closer as the senior went a perfect 4-of-4 from the line to seal the victory.
WT finished the contest 25-of-64 (39.1%) from the floor, 7-of-27 (25.9%) from three-point range and 17-of-23 (73.9%) from the charity stripe with 40 rebounds, 13 assists, four steals and one block. Quaid is the first Buff to score 30 points since Gach Gach scored 31 against Cameron earlier this season. The Fort Collins, Colo. native was 12-of-22 from the floor, 2-of-5 from beyond the arc and 4-of-6 from the free throw line while pulling down six rebounds. Qua Grant was the second leading scorer for the Buffs with 14 going a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Hall reached double-digits for the 10th straight game with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds and four assists.
UP NEXT
West Texas A&M returns to the court against MSU Texas on Thursday, Jan. 31, in Wichita Falls. The Buffs won their previous meeting this season, 93-70, at the First United Bank Center on Dec. 1.
