CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M men's basketball used a strong first half to defeat the Hilltoppers of St. Edward's 85-76 at the First United Bank Center in Canyon. The Buffs record moved to 20-6 overall and 18-2 in Lone Star Conference action.
 
The Leaders
Julius Brown led WT in scoring with 19 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Three other Buffs reached double digits as Damion Thornton scored 15 while Addison Wallace and Zach Toussaint chipped in 12 each. Thornton led WT in rebounds and assists with eight and three, respectively.
 
How It Happened
The Buffs started the game on fire, making their first four three pointers of the game. The hot shooting from WT led to a 10-point lead at the first media timeout of the game. The Hilltoppers responded by cutting the lead down to three. After another Buff run, St. Edward's kept its pressure and brought the game within single digits once again. WT ended the half on a 9-4 streak to go into the locker room with a 48-38 lead.
 
After halftime, the Hilltoppers kept themselves in the game despite the Buffs making shots from the field. WT built a 13-point lead with 12:10 left in the second half on a pair of free throws from Thornton. It didn't take long for the Buffs to gain their biggest lead of the game as Toussaint made a three from the corner while drawing the foul. The junior then sank the ensuing free throw attempt to put WT up by 15. St. Edward's brought the WT lead down to six with 4:24 to play, but five points from Brown and Thornton put the lead at double digits. Down the stretch, the Buffs stayed perfect from the line to steal the Lone Star Conference contest.
 
Inside the Box Score

• WT leads the all-time series 6-2, 5-0 in Canyon.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 5-1 against the Rattlers.
• WT shot 41.8% (23-of-55) from the field, 44.8% (13-of-29) from deep, 100% (26-of-26) from the charity stripe with 31 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, four blocks, and eight turnovers.
• SEU shot 43.8% (28-of-64) from the floor, 52.9% (9-of-17) from 3-point range, 66.7% (8-of-12) at the free throw line with 38 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals, one block, and nine turnovers.

 
Up Next
WT faces a home-and-home series next week with Lubbock Christian. The Buffs host the Chaps on Thursday night at the First United Bank Center before traveling down Interstate-27 on Saturday.
 
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