CANYON, Texas – Six different Buffs scored in double figures as No. 7 West Texas A&M defeated Adams State 108-77 on Friday afternoon in their home opener at the First United Bank Center. The Buffs shot 48.0 percent from the floor, 31.0 percent from 3-point range and 77.1 percent from the free throw as they won their 27th straight game at home.
The Grizzlies hung around for the opening nine minutes of the game trailing by one, 22-21, at the 11:19 before the Buffs went on a 10-1 run to break the game wide open. Eric Mosley got the run started with a jumper in the paint followed by five straight points from Joel Murray including a 3-pointer at 8:34. Qua Grant wouldn't be outdone with a deep ball of his own on the next possession to push the lead to nine.
Jordan Collins' first 3-pointer of the season at 7:18 pushed the lead to double digits for the first time in the game, 37-25. The lead continued to grow as WT found John Brown under the basket for a pair of dunks under the five-minute mark including a behind the back pass from Murray that would make Jason Williams jealous. Grant and Zach Toussiant would punish the Grizzlies from deep as they pushed lead to 66-41 at halftime.
WT opened the second half on a. 7-2 run thanks to their defense forcing two steals that led to easy baskets for Derrick Geddis and Jon'il Fugett. After pushing the lead to 29, 82-53, with under 15 minutes remaining in regulation, they would go without a basket for the next four minutes. Collins ended the drought with a pullup jump following a block on the defensive end of the court.
The Buffs would reach the 100-point plateau on Ty Bryant's first career points with a little more than five minutes remain in the game. The Lipan native turned an offensive rebound into points making it 101-65 in favor of the home team. He would finish the scoring with a pair of free throws in the final seconds as WT won their fifth straight over the Grizzlies.
Murray led the Buffs in scoring for third straight game 21 points, 19 of those coming in the first half, to go along with six assists. Brown was a rebound away from his first career double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds while Toussaint was nearly automatic from the charity stripe going 9-of-10 as part of a career-high 15 points.
WT will face off against. Western Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 9. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Live stats and video (pay-per-view) will be available on GoBuffsGo.com.
