LAREDO, Texas – On Tuesday afternoon, the West Texas A&M men's basketball team needed overtime to outlast the Texas A&M International Dustdevils, 66-65. The Buffs improve to 9-1 overall on the season and 4-1 in Lone Star Conference play.
The Leaders
Three Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Tuesday afternoon led by a team-high 14 from
Noah Pagotto.
Ahamed Mohammed (13) and
Narit Chotikavanic (11) also ended their day in double figures. Pagotto paced the team with nine rebounds while
Isaac Ayoubi dished out five assists.
How It Happened
The Dustdevils opened the game on a 7-0 run over the first two and a half minutes, forcing an early timeout from the Buffs. After the timeout, four quick points put WT back within a possession, but TAMIU would extend its lead to double digits with 13 and a half to play in the first half. The Buffs went back to work as 9-2 run tied the game at 22 with six minutes to play in the period. After a Dustdevil turnover,
Noah Pagotto gave WT its first lead of the game on a hook shot. The Buffs held a momentary four-point lead, but TAMIU came back down the stretch to take a 30-29 lead into halftime.
After halftime, the two teams exchanged buckets as the game went to the first media timeout of the period with TAMIU leading, 36-35. Back-to-back buckets from Mohammed and
Mackenzie Morgan put WT four, matching their largest lead to that point. With momentum up for grabs, the Dustdevils responded with an 12-2 run to take back the lead. Ahead of the under-eight minute media timeout, a
Jailyn Sledge layup brought the Buffs back within one. Down the stretch, a
Bob Griechen layup regained the advantage and forced TAMIU to use a timeout.
As the game went under a minute to play, the Dustdevils took a lead only for Mohammed to drive the length of the court for a layup. After a TAMIU missed floater, a defensive rebound and timeout set up a final shot. The Buffs got off a clean look but couldn't get the bounce, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime,
Amir McMillian started the scoring before the Dustdevils knotted the score once again. With just under two minutes to play in the overtime period, a McMillian floater drew the and-one where the freshman converted the free throw. As the clock ticked under 40 seconds to play, a pair of Pagotto free throws put WT up one. With 12 seconds left in the game, the Dustdevils called a timeout to set up a last-second play. Following the timeout, TAMIU would miss a go-ahead three before a pair of jumpers wouldn't fall as time expired.
WT closes out 2024 with an in-region matchup at Fort Lewis. Action between the Buffs and Skyhawks is slated for 1 p.m. CT in Durango.
Inside the Box Score
- The Buffs lead the all-time series with Texas A&M International, 5-1
- Head coach Tom Brown moves to 5-0 against the Dustdevils.
- WT shot 40.4% (23-of-57) from the field, 23.1% (3-of-13) from deep, 73.9% (17-of-23) from the charity stripe with 32 rebounds, 11 assists, seven steals, two blocks, and 13 turnovers.
- Texas A&M International shot 37.9% (22-of-58) from the floor, 13.3% (2-of-15) from the 3-point range, 63.3% (19-of-30) at the free throw line with 36 rebounds, six assists, six steals, five blocks, and 12 turnovers.
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