CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M men's basketball team cruised past the Dustdevils of Texas A&M International on Tuesday, 71-45. With the win, the Buffs improve to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in Lone Star Conference play.
The Leaders
Three Buffs reached double-digit scoring led by
Larry Wise's game-high 19.
Mackenzie Morgan scored a career-high 13 points while
Kieran Elliott chipped in 11 in the win. Wise also brought in a team-high nine rebounds and three assists.
How It Happened
WT started the game down as TAMIU came out the gates hot. After the Dustdevils gained a five-point lead with 14:34 left in the first half, the Buffs rattled off a 14-0 run that lasted over four minutes. TAMIU eventually broke the scoring streak, but five quick points gave WT a double-digit lead. The Buffs' defense locked in for the remaining five minutes of the half, forcing contested shots and mistakes from the Dustdevil offense. At the end of the first half, WT remained in control with a 17-point advantage.
After halftime, the Buffs came out with the period's first bucket to push their lead to 19. An 8-0 run by TAMIU cut the lead down to 11 and force a WT timeout. The Buffs responded to TAMIU's streak with a 12-0 run of their own to extend their lead to 23. Over the next minutes, WT's defense continued to lock down the Dustdevils' offense as the Buffs held TAMIU to less than 40 points until the 1:55 mark.
Inside the Box Score
- WT leads the all-time series, 4-1.
- Head coach Tom Brown moves to 4-0 against the Dustdevils.
- WT shot 43.9% (25-of-57) from the field, 41.2% (7-of-17) from deep, 73.7% from the charity stripe with 43 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals, three blocks, and 15 turnovers.
- TAMIU shot 31.7% (20-of-63) from the floor, 11.1% (1-of-9) from the 3-point range, 44.4% at the free throw line with 36 rebounds, three assists, eight steals, four blocks and 14 turnovers.
Up Next
WT heads out west to Las Vegas for the High Desert Classic presented by the MIAA. The Buffs take on No. 8 Colorado Mesa on Monday, Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. Central.
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