AUSTIN, Texas – West Texas A&M's men's basketball head coach
Tom Brown earned his 200
th career win as the Buffs defeated the St. Edward's Hilltoppers, 82-72, on Monday afternoon. Four Buffs reached double figures led by
Larry Wise and
Julius Brown who combined for 42 points.
WT opened scoring early on a layup by
Kavon Booker before Uche Dibiamaka made two free throws to level the score. The two teams went back-and-forth until
Hayden Blankley sank one from beyond the arc to give the Buffs the lead.
Freshman
Jesse Iweze's layup extended the Buffs lead into double digits, 26-15, at the 8:23 mark. Wise put three on the board with his second 3-pointer of the game to make it a 20-point game, 39-19. Dibiamaka knocked in his own shot from the deep to make it 39-22 at the half.
The Hilltoppers led off scoring with back-to-back jumpers but was immediately responded with a classic three-point play by Booker to snap the run. Blankley made both free throws at the charity stripe for WT to 50-points at 15:45.
With less the five minutes left in the half, Bennett Mohn's layup brought the game back within single digits as the Hilltoppers began to chop down the Buffs lead. Wise added another two to the board before Brown sank a shot at the line to push the score back to 10 to hand head coach
Tom Brown his 200
th career victory.
The Buffs finished the game 30-of-60 (50.0%) from the floor and 8-of-19 (42.1%) from three while shooting 14-of-18 (77.8%) at the free throw line. They outrebounded St. Edward's 39-30 to go along with nine assists, five blocks and seven steals. Wise and Brown each scored 21 points for WT while Booker recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
WT will close their four-game road trip in San Antonio tomorrow, Feb. 1, against the St. Mary's rattlers
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