SAN ANTONIO – On Thursday, the West Texas A&M men's basketball team went on the road to earn a decisive 88-63 win over the Rattlers of St. Mary's. The Buffs improve to 25-1 overall, including 22 straight wins, to remain the only undefeated team in the Lone Star Conference at 19-0.
 
The Leaders
Four Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Thursday night highlighted by a game-high 22 from Larry Wise. Ahamed Mohammed and Zach Toussaint scored 15 each in the win while Kieran Elliott added 11. Elliott also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds while Noah Pagotto hauled in eight. Brock Mishak dished out a team-high six assists while blocking a pair of St. Mary's shots.
 
How It Happened
A Toussaint three early in the game proved to be the Buffs only points until Mohammed knocked down a pair of free throws just before the first media timeout of the evening. Outside of Mohammed's free throws, WT's first three made shots from the field came from behind the arc. The Buffs' hot shooting from three-point territory and stiff defense allowed WT to gain a seven-point advantage midway through the first half. After pushing the lead to double digits, St. Mary's continued to bring the lead down before the Buffs pushed it back to 10 points. At halftime, WT carried a 44-36 advantage into the locker room.
 
In the second half, the two teams opened the period by exchanging points as the Buffs pushed their lead to 11 points. A long scoring drought helped WT start a 11-3 run, pushing the lead to 17 points. After the lead hovered around 15 points, the Buffs extended it to 20 midway through the second half thanks to a 7-0 streak. Throughout the final minutes, WT worked the clock to close out the game, 88-63.
 
Inside the Box Score

• WT leads the all-time series, 20-2, 9-2 in San Antonio.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 3-1 against the Rattlers.
• WT shot 50.0% (32-of-66) from the field, 41.7% (10-of-24) from deep, 80.0% from the charity stripe with 42 rebounds, 18 assists, eight steals, three blocks, and 10 turnovers.
• StMU shot 44.3% (27-of-61) from the floor, 37.5% (6-of-16) from the 3-point range, 27.3% at the free throw line with 32 rebounds, 13 assists, four steals, three blocks, and 13 turnovers.

 
Up Next
WT stays on the road for a Saturday, Feb. 24 matchup with St. Edward's in Austin. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. inside the St. Edward's Recreation and Athletics Center.
 
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