Game Notes
Live Stats 
Watch Live
Tickets 
 
CANYON, Texas – The No. 3 West Texas A&M Buffs travel down Interstate 27 for the first Rivalry on the Range matchup of the season to face No. 9 Lubbock Christian tonight at 7 p.m. at the Rip Griffin Center.  Tonight's matchup will be the Buffs second Top 10 matchup of the season. 
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Live stats and broadcasts will be provided by Lubbock Christian with the game aired on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network.  Broadcasts to all games and live stats can be found at GoBuffsGo.com. 
 
SCOUTING #9 LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN
Lubbock Christian ranked ninth in the NABC preseason poll after finishing the 2020-21 season 18-3 with a run in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional championship game.  The Chaps were favored to win the Lone Star Conference championship, receiving 711 total points and 26-of-44 first place votes. 
 
The Chaps led off the season with a 2-0 start with victories over Regis and No. 5 Colorado School of Mines during the South Central Region Challenge under 11^th-year head coach Todd Duncan.  LCU averages 81 points per game while limiting opponents to a 59.5 scoring average.
 
LCU has four players scoring double figures led by senior Parker Hicks, who was named the LSC Preseason Player of the Year.  The Decatur native averages a team=high 19.0 points along with 9.0 rebounds per game shooting 57.7 percent from the floor and 37.5 from three. 
 
Aamer Muhammad has also been a top scorer for the Chaps, averaging 19.0 points per game with a 45.8 field goal percentage.  The sophomore guard has scored a team-high five threes.  
 
RIVALRY ON THE RANGE
Thursday's match marks the sixth matchup between the two schools in the Rivalry on the Range series since its start in 2019.  The Rivalry on the Range is a year-long competition between West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian that includes 15 sports competing against each other.  The scoring system and standings can be found at RivalryOnTheRange.com.  
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
WT leads the all-time series 21-7 that dates back to Dec. 2, 1978.  The Buffs won the first 15 of the first 16 contests played between the two schools.  Tom Brown is 7-4 against the Chaps during his time in Canyon including a 3-3 record at LCU. 
 
COMIN' IN HOT
The Buffs led off the 2021-22 season with a 5-0 start after recording sweeping the season series against Western Colorado during the South Central Region Challenge.  WT defeated the Mountaineers 83-64 before earning a 86-71 Sunday afternoon victory.  Larry Wise led the Buffs scoring in the series with 41 points while Kavon Booker brought down 15 rebounds.  
 
BOOKER NAMED LSC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kavon Booker was named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in his career after leading a WT defense that has limited opponents to just a 65.8 scoring average.  The sophomore averages a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game, including a career-high 11 in the Buffs victory over No. 4 Colorado Mesa.  This season he has posted six blocks with four steals and 33 total rebounds.  
 
A LOOK INSIDE THE NUMBERS
WT is outscoring opponents 79.4-65.8 with a 13.6 scoring margin as the Buffs are shooting .435 from the floor, .333 from the deep and .750 from the free throw line.  As a team, the Buffs defense averages 40 rebounds per game alongside 7.4 assists, 7.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks.
 
Three Buffs average double-figure scoring led by Larry Wise with 17.0 points per game after the sophomore has totaled 85 points in the preseason followed by Julius Brown (16.4) and Zach Toussaint (14.6). 
 
Hayden Blankley brought down 22 total rebounds in the opening weekend and averages 7.3 to lead the Buffs defense followed by freshman Jesse Iweze with 6.7. 
 
WT HEAD COACH TOM BROWN
Tom Brown is in his eighth season as the head coach of the Buffs, registering an overall record of 186-43 (.808) with four NCAA Tournament Appearances including the programs first appearance in the National Championship game last season.  The two-time LSC Coach of the Year led the Buffs to their fourth consecutive conference tournament championship title.
 
NABC TOP 25 POLL
For the third consecutive season, the Buffaloes of West Texas A&M were ranked in the Top 5 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Preseason Poll. The three-time defending South Central Region Champions are one of three schools from the Lone Star Conference to rank in the national standings alongside Lubbock Christian (9^th) and DBU (19^th).  Defending National Champions Northwest Missouri State is ranked first with 15 first-place votes followed by Flager, WT, Colorado Mesa (1-fpv) and Colorado School of Mines to round out the Top 5. 
 
LSC DIGITAL NETWORK
The LSC Digital Network will offer season passes for football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball and softball, giving fans access to all regular-season contests for that sport. In addition, viewers will continue to have the option to purchase a $10 day pass that provides access to all broadcasts aired that day and access to all archived content for 24 hours.   
 
Fans can watch games and purchase passes online at www.lonestarconferencenetwork.com on computer and mobile devices. Viewers can also tune in to games on the LSC Digital Network via OTT apps available on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku by searching for "LSC Digital Network".
 
COMING UP
WT will return to Canyon on Monday, Nov. 22 to host Midwestern State for a non-conference matchup.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. against the Mustangs.