#14 West Texas A&M (11-2, 3-0) vs. Western New Mexico (8-2, 2-1)
Date	Friday, January 2 | 8:00 p.m. CT
Location	Silver City, New Mexico | Drag's Court
Follow Along	Live Stats
Watch Live	FloCollege (Pay-Per-View)
Additional Links	Game Notes

CANYON, Texas – The #14 Buffaloes return to Lone Star Conference action on Friday night as they make the long road trip to Silver City, New Mexico to take on the Mustangs of Western New Mexico with tipoff set for 8:00 p.m. CT at Drag's Court.
 
ARLINGTON BAPTIST REWIND
The then #4 Buffaloes had seven different players score in double-figures as West Texas A&M claimed a 102-82 victory over the Arlington Baptist Patriots at the First United Bank Center in Canyon. Brock Mishak posted 19 points, made six field goals, and recorded five steals while adding seven assists. Fontaine Williams Jr. contributed 17 points, converting six of 11 shots and making all four of his free throw attempts. Camden Cowgill scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers, and collected five rebounds. Jayden Holt finished with 10 points on five-of-six shooting and registered two steals.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Western New Mexico enters the new year with an overall record of 8-2 with a 2-1 mark in Lone Star Conference action. The Mustangs return to Drag's Court for just the second time this season as they picked up a 70-65 win over UT Dallas back on December 20th in Silver City.
 
Cortaviaus Seales leads the way offensively for the Mustangs as the senior guard from Rock Island, Illinois has gone 60-of-112 (53.6%) from the floor including 7-of-27 (25.9%) from behind the arc and 39-of-53 (73.6%) from the free throw line to average 16.8 points per game to go along with 38 rebounds, 37 assists and 15 steals. The Black Hawk-Moline CC transfer has reached double-figures in each of his previous nine contests highlighted by a 27-point performance against Colorado Mesa back on November 22nd.
 
The Mustangs have started the season strong, already surpassing Western New Mexico's win total from the previous two campaigns. Last season saw WNMU go 5-23 overall with a 4-18 mark in the LSC.
 
WNMU HEAD COACH MARK BUNKER
Mark Bunker is now in his third season at the helm of the Western New Mexico men's basketball program, taking over the reins in Silver City in May of 2023. Bunker holds an overall career record of 153-162 including a mark of 17-48 at WNMU.
 
Bunker came to Silver City after serving as the Head Coach for Scottsdale Community College (2014-2023). While at Scottsdale CC, Bunker led the Artichokes to back-to-back Region I Division II Championships in 2022 & 2023. Bunker played collegiately at Scottsdale CC, where he was a team captain and would play in the Junior College All-American All-Star Game as a sophomore followed by two seasons at Arizona State University.
 
THE SERIES
Friday night is the 30th all-time meeting on the hardwood between West Texas A&M and Western New Mexico. The Buffaloes have claimed 17 straight victories in a series. WT is 9-1 all-time at Drag's Court as they have won their last eight trips to the Land of Enchantment.
 
The last meeting came on February 15, 2025 in Silver City as the Buffs scored 45 first half points on their way to a 83-58 victory. Four Buffs finished the game in double-figures led by Kemper Jones and Ahamed Mohammed with 14 points each. WT went 30-of-70 (42.9%) from the floor including 13-of-31 (41.9%) from deep and 10-of-13 (76.9%) from the free throw line with 43 rebounds, 16 assists, two blocks and six steals.
 
WT HEAD COACH TOM BROWN
Tom Brown, now in his 12th season at the helm of the West Texas A&M men's basketball program, has built the Buffs into one of the elite NCAA Division II programs in the nation.  He has guided WT to nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments including the Buffs first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship game in 2021. 
 
Brown was hired as the 17th head coach in program history on April 16, 2014. In the past 10 seasons, Coach Brown and his staff are 276-64 (.816) and an average of 27 wins a season with appearances in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four (2) and National Title game. During his time in Canyon, Brown is 296-77 (.797) overall and 157-43 (.785) in league action. 
 
LSC PRESEASON POLL
Defending Regional Champion Dallas Baptist claimed 42 of the possible 51 first place votes for a total of 850 points to sit atop of the poll followed by St. Mary's (two first place, 724), Lubbock Christian (four first place, 720), St. Edward's (669) and West Texas A&M (two first place, 654) to round out the top five.
 
Angelo State and Eastern New Mexico tied for sixth with 592 points followed by Midwestern State (558), UT Permian Basin (468), Texas A&M International (one first place, 350), Texas A&M-Kingsville (330), Cameron (301), Oklahoma Christian (266), UT Tyler (260), Western New Mexico (193), UT Dallas (188) and Sul Ross State (88).
 
St. Mary's Damani Claxton was tabbed the league's Preseason Player of the Year. The Bronx, New York native averaged 17.1 points, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season. He made 45 3-pointers and shot 80.4 percent from the free throw line. Claxton was named LSC Newcomer of the Year and earned first-team All-LSC honors.
 
NABC DIVISION II TOP-25 POLL
The Buffaloes are ranked 14th in this week's edition of the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) Division II Top-25 Poll announced on December 21st. The South Central Region is represented by Lubbock Christian (8th), St. Edward's (13th), West Texas A&M (14th), St. Mary's (20th) and Eastern New Mexico (24th). 
 
2024-25 RECAP
The 2024-25 campaign saw WT made the NCAA National Tournament for a ninth-consecutive season where three freshmen made the LSC All-Freshman team. The Buffs also posted a 3.48 GPA in the classroom, tops in the Lone Star Conference for a second consecutive year. WT was named a recipient of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Academic Excellence Award as Brock Mishak and Nicholas Jett were named to the NABC Honor Court.
 
LIVE COVERAGE 
The LSC and FloSports reached a historic agreement in August of 2024 for the largest streaming rights deal in NCAA Division II history. Fans have two different subscription options: $19.99 per month or $107.88 per year ($8.99/month). Additionally, those who use an .edu email address from an LSC member institution will be able to sign up at a discounted subscription price of $9.99 per month or $71.88 per year ($5.99/month).