CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M men's basketball fell to the St. Edward's 84-71 in a tightly-contested Lone Star Conference matchup on Saturday. The loss drops the Buffs to 17-10 on the season and 12-9 in conference play.
 
The Leaders
Three Buffs reached double-digit scoring on Saturday afternoon led by a game-high 24 from Narit Chotikavanic. Ahamed Mohammed (17) and Mackenzie Morgan (14) also ended their day in double figures. Chotikavanic recorded a team-high eight rebounds and seven assists. Jailyn Sledge tallied three steals on the day.   
 
How It Happened
The Buffs and Hilltoppers battled for the lead in the opening minutes of the game until a 7-2 run put WT up six with 10:28 to play in the first half. St. Edward's wouldn't let the game get out of hand as an 11-0 run erased the deficit and put the Hilltoppers up five. In the closing minutes of the first half, the Buffs fought their way back into the game where a Morgan layup at the buzzer sent the game to halftime tied at 34.
 
After halftime, WT came out with renewed energy, starting the period on a 9-2 streak. With 15:05 to play, a Morgan jumper gave the Buffs an 11-point advantage, the largest by either side to that point. A Jamison Kay three with 13:33 to go kickstarted an 11-0 run to tie the game. A Chotikavanic layup snapped the run, but St. Edward's went on a 9-1 run over two and a half minutes. The streak set up the Hilltoppers to extend their lead to 14 a few minutes later, eventually taking the game 84-71.
 
The Buffs close out the regular season against rival Eastern New Mexico on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Canyon.
 
Inside the Box Score

• The Buffs lead the all-time series with St. Edward's, 7-3.
• Head coach Tom Brown moves to 5-2 against the Hilltoppers.
• WT shot 35.5% (22-of-62) from the field, 32.3% (10-of-31) from deep, 60.7% (17-of-28) from the charity stripe with 32 rebounds, 12 assists, eight steals, two blocks, and nine turnovers.
• St. Edward's shot 53.3% (24-of-45) from the floor, 54.5% (6-of-11) from the 3-point range, 85.7% (30-of-35) at the free throw line with 42 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, two blocks, and 15 turnovers.

 
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