CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M men's basketball used a balanced attack to defeat the UT Permian Basin Falcons on Saturday, 77-69. The Buffs improved to 14-1 overall on the year and 8-0 in Lone Star Conference play with the home win.  
 
The Leaders
Five Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Saturday afternoon highlighted by Larry Wise's team-high 17 points. Ryland Holt (14), Noah Pagotto (13), Kieran Elliott (11), and Ahamed Mohammed (11) also reached double figures. Mohammed hauled in a team-high seven rebounds while Wise dished out four assists and Holt made three steals.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons took an early lead thanks in part to a 10-0 scoring run. The Buffs didn't let the lead get too far away as WT used a 7-0 run of its own to bring the game back within reach. Over the game's next minutes, the two teams exchanged buckets and scoring runs. It wasn't until the 5:09 mark until the Buffs gained a lead they would take into halftime. Over the last two minutes in the half, WT outscored UTPB 7-0, creating a 39-34 lead at the break.
 
In the second half, the Falcons kept the Buffs in check for the opening moments. With just under 18 minutes to play, a string of seven points by Elliott put WT up six. As UTPB's offense started to sputter, the Buffs continued to value their offensive possessions. After WT went up by double digits with nine minutes to play, the Buffs controlled the game until the final horn. The Falcons scored the game's final points with 30 seconds to play, ending the game at 77-69 in favor of WT.
 
Inside the Box Score

• WT leads the all-time series, 20-2.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 15-2 against the Falcons.
• WT shot 46.8% (29-of-62) from the field, 40.9% (9-of-22) from deep, 100.0% from the charity stripe with 29 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals, and 12 turnovers.
• UTPB shot 52.3% (23-of-44) from the floor, 47.1% (8-of-17) from the 3-point range, 78.9% at the free throw line with 25 rebounds, eight assists, 10 steals, two blocks, and 17 turnovers.

 
Up Next
WT heads to The Land of Enchantment for a divisional contest against Western New Mexico on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8:30 p.m.
 
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