SAN ANGELO, Texas – Zach Toussaint hit a career-best six 3-pointers to lead No. 5 West Texas A&M to a 107-77 victory over Angelo State on Saturday at the Junell Center in San Angelo. With their 12th straight win over the Rams, WT improved to 7-1 on the season and 5-1 in Lone Star Conference play.
Toussaint scored a career-high 20 points as the Buffs shot 57.6 percent from the floor, 38.7 percent from three and 76.0 percent from the free throw line. The sophomore from Johnsburg, Ill. went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in 31 minutes of action. Jon'il Fugett also had 20 points with three rebounds and three assists. Qua Grant recorded his 13th career double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds with Joel Murray chipping in 19 points, nine rebounds and four steals.
The Buffs scored the first four points of the game, all from Parker Nielsen, before being outscored 18-5 by the Rams over the next seven minutes. They struggled from beyond the arc as the Rams pushed the lead to nine points, 32-23, with under six minutes left in the first half.
WT would outscore the Rams 19-4 over the final five minutes to take a 42-36 lead heading into halftime. Toussaint got the run started with a 3-pointer followed by a pair of free throws from Grant. JT Warren hit a 3-pointer out of the under four-minute timeout with Murray's free throws tying the game at 35-all. Hayden Blankley made a pair of free throws to give the Buffs their first lead of the game followed by a fastbreak layup from Murray. Grant would finish the half in style with an old-fashioned 3-point play.
A 14-0 run from the Buffs to open the second half busted the game wide open as WT lead by 21, 57-36, at 16:19. Nielsen converted an old-fashioned 3-point play before Toussaint continued to make the Rams pay from beyond the arc. J. Fugett would score five straight points before Grant ended the run with a jumper.
The Rams had no answers for the Buffs as the lead reached 27 points, 70-43, at 13:03 on a triple from Toussiant. ASU would chip away at the lead over the next five minutes but never get closer than 17, 77-60, as J. Fugett recorded his second dunk of the season to restore the Buffs momentum. The lead would get as high as 32 points, 102-70, in the final three minutes after five straight free throws from John Brown.
The Buffs return to the First United Bank Center on Tuesday, Feb. 9, against Western New Mexico. Tip is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
