CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M's Larry Wise posted a season-high 26 points to lead the No. 3 Buffs to victory over the Western Colorado on Sunday afternoon.  WT defeated the Mountaineers 86-71 to move to 5-0 while WCU dropped to 0-2 to start the season.
 
Newcomer Larry Wise went 9-for-14 on the floor while going 6-for-6 at the line with a pair of three pointers to collect a game-high 26.  Julius Brown and Zach Toussaint also saw double-figure scoring with Brown scoring 17 and Toussaint 15.  Kavon Booker brought down a team-high 10 rebounds. 
 
Neither team was able to string together a substantial lead as the opening 14 minutes saw three lead changes. With six minutes left WT trailed 27-24 following a three-pointer from Jonathan McCloud. They would trail by as much as five one minute later on a jumper from Will Willis at the 5:19 mark.  
 
With 58 seconds left in the half, Toussaint would draw a foul after hitting a jumper to send the sophomore to the line.  The Johnsburg, Ill. product sank the free throw to bring the score within one, making it 38-37 in favor of WCU at the intermission.
 
A shot from the deep by Wise opened the second half to give the Buffs back the lead until the Mountaineers leveled the score with a layup from Elijah Davidson to make it 47-all.  Dalin Williams drove up the lane at the 14:01 mark to kickstart a 9-2 run. 
 
After drawing the foul, Austin Shelley hit a pair of free throws to push WT's lead into double figures, 68-58.  The Buffs continued to pick up momentum as Wise would extend the Buffs lead to 15 after following his fifth rebound from a missed shot by WCU. 
 
WT finished the game going 32-for-61 (52.5%) from the floor including 4-for-18 (22.2%) from the deep and 18-for-22 (81.8%) from the free throw line with 32 rebounds, nine turnovers, nine assists and eight steals. 
 
Western Colorado went 24-for-58 (41.4%)from the field including 14-for-26 (53.8%) from beyond the arc and 9-for-11 (81.8%) from the line led by Matthew Ragsdale with 17 points.  The Mountaineers brought down 35 rebounds with 19 turnovers, 15 assists and four steals. 
 
The Buffs return to action on Thursday, Nov. 18 with a top 10 matchup with No. 9 Lubbock Christian (2-0, 0-0 LSC).  Last season, WT took the season series 2-1 including a 101-92 victory for the Buffs to claim their third straight NCAA South Central Regional Championship.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. against the Chaps at the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock.