Buffs Outlast Greyhounds for LSC Divisional Victory
 
PORTALES, N.M. – The West Texas A&M men's basketball team traveled into hostile territory on Thursday night and defeated the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds 98-87 in Portales. The Buffs (17-6, 15-2 LSC) handed the Greyhounds (14-9, 9-8 LSC) their first loss at home this season.
 
The Leaders
Three Buffs reached the 20-point mark led by Julius Brown and Larry Wise scoring 28 each. Zach Toussaint nearly matched the pair with 26 points of his own. Wise led WT with seven rebounds while Ryland Holt notched a game-high three blocks.
 
How It Happened
Eastern New Mexico started quickly by making seven of their first 11 shots from the field. The early hot shooting allowed the Greyhounds to build a 15-7 lead at the first media timeout of the night. The Buffs continued to hang around and score in the paint, but ENMU answered with points of their own. The Greyhound lead lasted until the 6:41 mark where Brown made a driving layup, drew the foul, and tied the game.
 
After Brown's three-point play, ENMU regained the lead until just over three minutes before halftime. With 3:08 remaining in the opening half, Wise continued his hot first half, making a layup and leveling the score once more. The Buffs took their first lead of the night with two and a half minutes before the break on Toussaint's shot in the lane. WT ended the half on an 11-0 run, extending the lead to nine.
 
The Buffs started the second half shooting well, making their first six attempts from the field. WT's shooting allowed the Buffs to push their lead to a game-high 17 points. ENMU went to work in the front court, cutting into the lead down to single digits multiple times. When WT looked to put the game out of reach, the Greyhounds came back to bring the game within one possession. ENMU wouldn't go away quietly, but the Buffs ended the game on a 6-0 run and held on for the LSC road win.
 
Inside the Box Score

• WT leads the all-time series 85-18 with a 36-10 record in Portales.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 16-1 against the Greyhounds.
• WT shot 51.6% (32-of-62) from the field, 46.2% (12-of-26) from deep, 73.3% (22-of-30) from the charity stripe with 32 rebounds, 12 assists, eight steals, three blocks, and 11 turnovers.
• ENMU shot 50.8% (32-of-43) from the floor, 21.4% (3-of-14) from the 3-point range, 76.9% (20-of-26) at the free throw line with 36 rebounds, 14 assists, three blocks, three steals and 15 turnovers.

Up Next
WT visits Western New Mexico on Saturday, Feb. 11. Action between the Buffs and Mustangs starts at 3 p.m. at Drag's Court.

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