CANYON, Texas – No. 3 West Texas A&M opened the 2021-22 campaign with a 72-63 victory over No. 4 Colorado Mesa in game one of the D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas behind 21-points from newcomer Larry Wise. 
 
Three Buffs finished the night with double-digit scoring led by Wise with 21 followed by Zach Toussaint and Julius Brown with 15 each.  Kavon Booker had a game-high 11 rebounds with Hayden Blankley bringing down a career-high 10. 
 
Toussaint opened scoring in the first minute of the season opener as the sophomore drained a three-pointer to put the Buffs ahead but the Mavericks would quickly lock the game at 10-all with a jumper by Owen Koonce.  
 
Neither team was able to grab a big lead with the board seeing seven more lead changes over the next 12-minutes until the Mavericks broke away with a six-point lead, which would be their largest of the night.  WT would find it's rhythm in the final three minutes of the half as the Buffs used an 11-4 run to lead by one after 20 minutes.  
 
Brown would get the Buffs' first basket of the second half from the top of the arc. The Mavericks would bring the game within one with a dunk by Trevor Baskin to make it 47-46, but was immediately responded by another three from Toussaint to end the threat.  
 
With 10 minutes left in the second half, Wise would continue to advance the Buffs' score as the 6-foot-4 guard helped WT break away with a nine-point lead to secure the season opening victory. 
 
The Buffs return to action tomorrow evening at 4 p.m. against the Minnesota State-Moorhead Dragons who dropped their preseason opener to Daemen, 67-63.  Live stats and stream will be available on GoBuffsGo.com for Saturday's game.