CANYON, Texas – Joel Murray tied his career in scoring as No. 7 West Texas A&M defeated USC Aiken 91-80 on the second day of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in St. Joseph, Mo. The sophomore scored 27 points for the second straight games as the Buffs opened the season 2-0 for the fourth consecutive season.

Murray and Qua Grant were two of 10 players named to the All-Tournament team. 

It was a back-and-forth battle from the opening whistle with neither team leading by more than five points until the Pacers went up 15-10 at 14:01 on a 3-pointer from Fasion Brock. Jon'il Fugett kept the Buffs within striking distance with an old-fashioned 3-point play at 9:27 to cut the deficit to three, 22-19. 

Two free throws from John Brown combined with a 3-pointer from Murray cut the deficit to one, 24-23, at the 8:09 minute mark. WT kept it close until Murray took over the scoring duties in the final three minutes of the half with nine points to give the Buffs a 38-35 lead at half. 

The Buffs opened the second half with four straight points to make it 42-35 on a pair of Murray free throws. Grant's 3-pointer at 17:06 would spark an 11-0 run for the Buffs highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Zach Toussaint to make it 55-39. 

WT would see their lead get to single digits with under eight minutes to play in regulation before Murray and Eric Mosley scored eight straight points for the Buffs to make it 75-61. Mosley would continue to punish the Pacers as he scored five of his nine points in the final four minutes to lead to Buffs to a 91-80 victory. 

Murray led the Buffs in scoring for the fourth time in his career with 27 points with eight assists and eight rebounds. Grant, Fugett and Toussaint also reached double figures Toussaint making a team-high three 3-pointers. 

The nationally-ranked Buffs host Adams State in the home opener on Friday, Nov. 8, at the First United Bank Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Live stats and video (pay-per-view) will be available on GoBuffsGo.com.