CANYON, Texas – Qua Grant scored 16 points with 13 rebounds for his first career double-double as No. 7 West Texas A&M rolled past Western New Mexico 104-81 to open their four-game home stand on Thursday night in the First United Bank Center. The Buffs have now won seven straight games overall and 19 straight in the friendly confines of the FUBC.
THE BASICS
The Matchup: #7 West Texas A&M 104, Western New Mexico 81
Records: #7 West Texas A&M (22-3, 11-1 LSC), Western New Mexico (4-14, 1-10 LSC)
Venue: First United Bank Center
Location: Canyon, Texas
After allowing the Mustangs to score the first four points of the game in the first minute of regulation forcing a WT timeout, the Buffs took the game over as they outscored WNMU by 18-4 over the next over next five minutes to push the lead to double figures. Brandon Hall enforced his will scoring 15 points going 5-of-6 from the floor and perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe in as he reached double digits in scoring for the 13th consecutive game. Gach Gach also had an impressive opening 20 minutes with 13 points and seven rebounds.
WT continued to roll in the second half as Ryan Quaid found his groove scoring nine straight points at one point as he reached double figures for the 20th time this season. James Pennington had the highlight of the night when he drove the lane for a monster dunk midway through the half to bring the nearly 1,000 fans to their feet. He would later convert the free throw that pushed the Buffs over 100 points for the since Nov. 23 in a 105-71 win over Colorado State-Pueblo at the Pak-A-Sak Thanksgiving Classic.
In their sixth straight victory over the Mustangs, WT shot 36-of-65 (53.8%) from the floor, 7-of-25 (28.0%) from three-point range and 27-of-34 (79.4%) from the charity stripe with 47 rebounds, 16 assists, five steals and four blocks. Grant scored 16 points going 6-of-8 from the floor while pulling down 13 rebounds for his first career double-double. Hall had a game-high 18 points along with two assists and two steals while Gach and Quaid each chipped in 16 points.
UP NEXT
WT returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 7, against UT Permian Basin at the First United Bank Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
