CANYON, Texas – Ryan Quaid went for 29 points and 10 rebounds as he became West Texas A&M's all-time leader in games played as the No. 7 Buffs handled UT Permian Basin, 105-82, in front of 1,320 fans at the First United Bank Center on Saturday Afternoon. The senior also became third member of the 1,500-point club with a free throw in the first half.
THE BASICS
The Matchup: #7 West Texas A&M 104, UT Permian Basin 82
Records: #7 West Texas A&M (23-3, 12-1 LSC), UT Permian Basin (11-11, 4-8 LSC)
Venue: First United Bank Center
Location: Canyon, Texas
West Texas A&M was red hot from beyond the arc in the opening eight minutes making their first seven three-pointers to jump out to a 22-point lead, 37-15. Brandon Hall made all three of his attempts from downtown during that stretch as he scored 17 points in the first half.
The Buffs continued to score at will in the first half as Quaid made his presence known down in the paint with a nifty layup to make it 44-23 with under 10 minutes remaining before the halftime whistle. Gach Gach would connect on WT's eighth three-pointer of the third half at 6:58. Quaid would continue to make his presence known under the basket with five straight points over the final two minutes as WT led 64-44 at half.
The Falcons scored the first five points of the second to cut the lead to 15, 65-50, but that would be the closest the visitors would get as WT responded with a 10-2 run that spanned five minutes. The lead would reach a game-high 27, 94-67, with less than eight minutes remaining after three-pointers on consecutive possessions from Joel Murray, Gach and Quaid before Hall blasted past the defense for an easy layup.
WT went 37-of-74 (50.0%) from the floor, 12-of-32 (37.5%) from three-point range and 19-of-25 (76.0%) from the charity stripe with 30 rebounds, 17 assists, six steals and three blocks. Quaid scored 20 or more points for the seventh time this season and 15th time in his career after going 10-of-18 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. He also pulled down 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Grant's 20 point night marked the second time in three games he has eclipsed 20-point plateau. Hall also scored 20 points, 17 of those coming in the first half, with a team-high six assists. Gach added 15 points going 3-of-4 from deep and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line while Murray had 10 points and five assists.
UP NEXT
WT continue their home stand at the First United Bank Center on Thursday, Feb. 14, when they host second-place Angelo State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p..m.
