FORT SMITH, ARK. – West Texas A&M men's basketball opened Lone Star Conference play with an 81-61 defeat of the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions on Thursday night. The win improves the Buffs' record to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the Lone Star Conference while the Lions drop to 1-5 overall and 0-1 in league play.

The Leaders
Noah Pagotto scored a game-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Larry Wise (12), Kieran Elliott (10), and Ahamed Mohammed (10) also reached double figures. Elliott and Ryland Holt hauled in seven rebounds while Isaac Ayoubi dished out a game-high six assists.
 
How It Happened
UAFS started the game on a 9-3 run before a Mishak three cut the lead down to one. Over the game's next minutes, the Buffs attempted to take the lead, but the Lions wouldn't give it up easily. WT broke down the UAFS defense with just under 11 minutes to play in the first half as Wise and Holt converted back-to-back threes while holding the Lions scoreless for over three minutes. As the half came to an end, WT continued to come up with stops while converting buckets to take a 40-24 lead into the locker room.  
 
The Buffs came out of the locker room with the same momentum they entered the break with, quickly ballooning their lead. Since WT gained the lead midway through the first half, the Buffs never looked back. Throughout the second half, WT forced tough offensive possessions while controlling the pace on the other side of the court. At the end of the game, nine players combined to defeat the Lions 81-61.
 
Inside the Box Score

• WT leads the all-time series, 4-1.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 4-1 against the Lions.
• WT shot 46.9% (30-of-64) from the field, 32.3% (10-of-31) from deep, 52.4% from the charity stripe with 42 rebounds, 19 assists, six steals, five blocks, and nine turnovers.
• UAFS shot 36.4% (20-of-55) from the floor, 35.7% (5-of-14) from the 3-point range, 76.2% at the free throw line with 30 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and 12 turnovers.

 
Up Next
WT stays on the road as the Buffs travel to Oklahoma City on Saturday. WT and Oklahoma Christian are scheduled to tipoff at 3 p.m. at the Payne Athletic Center.
 
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