CANYON, Texas – The No. 3-ranked West Texas A&M men's basketball team opened the 2024-25 season with a 79-65 victory over No. 25 Ferris State. The Buffs move to 1-0 on the season.
 
The Leaders
Three Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Friday night led by a game-high 21 from Noah Pagotto. Ahamed Mohammed (16) and Isaac Ayoubi (10) also ended their night in double figures. Mackenzie Morgan grabbed seven rebounds while Pagotto blocked a pair of shots.
 
How It Happened
After a three-pointer to open the game from the Bulldogs, the Buffs responded with a 13-0 run to take control of the game. Ferris State started to cut into the lead, but WT found a way to answer the Bulldogs each time. Midway through the first half, Ferris State brought the lead down to four, but back-to-back buckets from Jailyn Sledge and Ayoubi doubled the lead. Before the under-four media timeout, the Bulldogs went on a 6-0 run to bring the game back within a possession. After the two teams exchanged buckets, the Buffs closed out the half with four points to lead 40-33 at the break.
 
In the second half, the Bulldogs brought the lead back down to five with 17:04 to play. Before the under-16 media timeout, an and-one from Amir McMillian started a 7-0 run to push the lead back to double digits. Over the game's next minutes, WT remained in control of the game. Just under 12 minutes to play, a 9-0 run put the Buffs up by 22 to set up a season-opening victory.
 
WT returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 3 with a 6:30 p.m. tip against UNC Pembroke.
 
Inside the Box Score

• The Buffs level the all-time series with Ferris State, 1-1.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 1-1 against the Bulldogs.
• WT shot 47.7% (31-of-65) from the field, 26.7% (4-of-15) from deep, 56.5% from the charity stripe with 42 rebounds, 12 assists, 11 steals, four blocks, and 11 turnovers.
• Ferris State shot 40.4% (23-of-57) from the floor, 32.0% (8-of-25) from the 3-point range, 55.0% at the free throw line with 36 rebounds, 15 assists, five steals, six blocks, and 18 turnovers

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