DURANGO, Colo. – In a game that saw 15 lead changes and 14 ties, the West Texas A&M men's basketball team came up just short of the Fort Lewis Skyhawks, 76-69. The Buffs enter 2025 with a 9-2 overall record and 4-1 mark in Lone Star Conference play.
 
The Leaders
Two Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Friday afternoon led by a team-high 19 from Noah Pagotto. Ahamed Mohammed (10) also ended his day in double figures. Mackenzie Morgan hauled in a team-high eight rebounds while Mohammed dished out three assists. Jailyn Sledge blocked a pair of shots with three steals.
 
How It Happened
Defensive pressure from both sides set the tone for the game's opening minutes as the two squads combined for just nine points over the game's first five minutes. As the Buffs continued to look for a rhythm offensively, the WT defense continued to stay strong, holding Fort Lewis quiet. Ahead of the under-12 media timeout, a Mohammed pull-up jumper and Sledge steal and score gave the Buffs the game's biggest lead so far at 10-7. Stingy defense turned to hot shooting on the other end as WT began to heat up from behind the arc, building a double-digit lead. The Skyhawks brought the lead down to two with five minutes to play in the half before a pair of free throws tied the game with 3:42 to play. Down the stretch, Fort Lewis built a seven-point advantage before the Buffs cut it down to two at the half, 35-33.
 
The Buffs came out of halftime with five unanswered points retake the lead, but a Biko Johnson three knotted the score at 38. The back-and-forth pace continued as neither team could build a solid lead. Midway through the second half, five points from Mohmmed put WT ahead by three. Going into the under-eight minute media timeout, the Buffs and Skyhawks exchanged blows from deep, sending the game with an even 60-60 scoreline into the break. With 3:53 to play, a Pagotto driving layup forced the game's 12^th lead change and pushed WT to a two-point lead.
 
With under 90 seconds to play, a foul sent the Skyhawks to the line where a pair of free throws put Fort Lewis up one. The Buffs answered with a layup from Pagotto, sending the game to the final minute with WT on top. A pair of free throws from Chuol Deng restored the Skyhawks' lead, turning the intensity up for the final minute. Fort Lewis pushed their lead to three with 20 seconds to play where a Buffalo turnover gave the ball back to the Skyhawks. Free throws closed out the game as Fort Lewis took down WT, 76-69.
 
The Buffs return to action on Friday, Jan. 3 when Midwestern State visits Canyon for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
 
Inside the Box Score

• The Buffs lead the all-time series with Fort Lewis, 8-3.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 1-2 against the Skyhawks.
• WT shot 38.8% (26-of-67) from the field, 33.3% (8-of-24) from deep, 69.2% (9-of-13) from the charity stripe with 39 rebounds, nine assists, seven steals, five blocks, and 18 turnovers.
• Fort Lewis shot 40.4% (21-of-52) from the floor, 36.8% (7-of-19) from the 3-point range, 84.4% (27-of-32) at the free throw line with 36 rebounds, 12 assists, 12 steals, three blocks, and 12 turnovers.

 
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