CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M men's basketball stormed out to a double-digit lead and never looked back in an 80-46 victory over the Sul Ross State Lobos. The Buffs improve to 7-4 in Lone Star Conference play and 12-5 overall on the season.
 
The Leaders
Five Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Saturday afternoon led by 14 from both Noah Pagotto. Bob Griechen (13), Jailyn Sledge (12), Nicholas Jett (12), and Ahamed Mohammed (11) also ended their day in double figures.  Sledge recorded a double-double in the win, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds. Pagotto paced the Buffs with four assists while Kelson Jones blocked three shots.  
 
How It Happened
WT started the game on a 10-0 run over the game's first three minutes before Sul Ross scored six unanswered points. The Buffs responded with a 24-2 run over seven minutes including a 14-0 run to build a significant lead. With four minutes to play in the half Mackenzie Morgan converted a layup to push the lead to 26 ahead of the under four-minute media timeout. Before the first half ended, WT went on a quick 7-0 run before a layup at the buzzer from the Lobos sent the game to the half with the Buffs up, 52-23.
 
After an offensive-driven first half, action slowed down in the second half. A pair of free throws from Sul Ross opened the second-half scoring, but WT answered back with five of its own to extend the lead to 32. The Lobos and Buffs would exchange points as two more free throws brought the WT lead down to 25 with 12:32 to play in the game. Throughout the remainder of the game, the Buffs lead hovered over the 30-point mark, ending with an 80-46 decision.
 
The Buffs hit the road for the first of four games away from Canyon. The trip starts on Thursday, Jan. 23 at Dallas Baptist with a 7 p.m. tip off.
 
Inside the Box Score

• The Buffs lead the all-time series with Sul Ross State, 21-3.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 1-0 against the Lobos.
• WT shot 37.7% (26-of-69) from the field, 29.4% (10-of-34) from deep, 85.7% (18-of-21) from the charity stripe with 50 rebounds, 14 assists, seven steals, four blocks, and three turnovers.
• Sul Ross State shot 25.5% (13-of-51) from the floor, 28.6% (4-of-14) from the 3-point range, 76.2% (16-of-21) at the free throw line with 33 rebounds, three assists, no steals, one block, and 12 turnovers.

 
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