CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M men's basketball team held off the upset-minded UT Permian Basin Falcons 70-66 at the First United Bank Center on Thursday night. The win boosts the Buffs' record to 15-6 overall and 13-2 in Lone Star Conference play.
 
The Leaders
Larry Wise led WT with 23 points on 5-of-14 shooting including 5-of-9 from three and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Damion Thornton and Addison Wallace reached double figures for the Buffs, scoring 15 and 14 points, respectively. Wise hauled in a team-high eight rebounds while Thornton followed with seven.
 
How It Happened
The Buffs came off the opening tip connecting on their shots from deep, nailing four in the first four minutes of the game. Despite the early shots, the Falcons kept the game close and took the lead with 10:31 left on the clock before halftime. The Buffs responded with a Wise three pointer in transition to regain the lead. WT seized momentum in the game and turned it into a first half-high lead of nine points. After the Buffs missed a pair of shots, UTPB attempted to cut the lead down before the break but couldn't put up a shot as time expired.
 
Coming out of the locker room, the Falcons opened the half on a 5-0 to bring the WT lead down to one. UTPB kept the game within five until the 10:27 minute mark where a pair of made free throws by Wise sparked a 10-0 run over a two-minute span. The Falcons went right back to work, cutting the WT lead down to four with just under four minutes to play. With two and half minutes to go, UTPB converted a second chance putback before a Buff turnover gave the Falcons the ball back. Another putback by the Falcons brought the game within a possession, but a pair of made free throws by Wallace put WT up by four.
 
In the final 94 seconds, the Buffs drained the clock, limiting the Falcons' offensive opportunities. With less than 20 seconds to play, Thornton nailed a fade away jumper to put the Buffs up four. On their next possession, UTPB went down the court, drew a shooting foul, and made two free throws, keeping the game close. After a WT timeout, Wallace drew a foul and made the free throws to seal the game.
 
Inside the Box Score

• WT leads the all-time series 19-2 with a 13-0 record in Canyon.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 14-2 against the Falcons.
• WT shot 35.3% (18-of-51) from the field, 39.4% (13-of-33) from deep, 87.5% (21-of-24) from the charity stripe with 28 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals, one block, and nine turnovers.
• UTPB shot 46.4% (26-of-56) from the floor, 33.3% (7-of-21) from the 3-point range, 77.8% (7-of-9) at the free throw line with 36 rebounds, 13 assists, 1 block, four steals and 14 turnovers.

 
Up Next
WT looks to avenge a loss to Angelo State earlier this season on Saturday, Feb. 4. The pivotal Lone Star Conference matchup between the Buffs and Rams at 3 p.m.
 
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