#14 West Texas A&M (11-3, 3-1) vs. Sul Ross State (2-7, 0-4)
Date	Sunday, January 4 | 3:00 p.m.
Location	Alpine, Texas | Gallego Center
Follow Along	Live Stats
Watch Live	FloCollege (Pay-Per-View)
Additional Links	Game Notes

CANYON, Texas – The Buffs look to rebound as they close out their weekend road trip on Sunday afternoon in Alpine, Texas against the Lobos of Sul Ross State with tipoff set for 3:00 p.m. at the Gallego Center.
 
WESTERN NEW MEXICO REWIND
The #14 Buffaloes dropped their first Lone Star Conference contest of the season on Friday evening in a wild 84-81 overtime loss to the Western New Mexico Mustangs at Drag's Court in Silver City, New Mexico. Fontaine Williams Jr. led with 26 points and added three steals, converting 8 of 10 free throws. Zach Brown contributed 15 points and recorded four total rebounds, making all six of his free-throw attempts. Brendan Ballard provided defensive support with two blocks and two steals. Kemper Jones scored 13 points, making 3 of 6 shots from beyond the arc.
 
SCOUTING THE LOBOS
Sul Ross State enters the weekend with an overall record of 2-7 with an 0-4 mark in Lone Star Conference action as they look to snap a five-game losing skid. The Lobos are 2-2 inside of the Gallego Center so far this season with wins over Angelo State (60-47) and UT Permian Basin (67-61) while falling to UT Dallas (91-80) and Eastern New Mexico (96-66).
 
Friday night saw the Lobos commit 21 turnovers as they fell to the ENMU Greyhounds, 96-66. Chianti Clay led the way offensively for SRSU as the senior guard from Milwaukee went 4-of-8 from the floor including 3-of-4 from behind the arc for a team-best 15 points followed by Tim Mikhailov (12) and Manny Flores (11) also in double-figures.
 
Antwonne Holmes guides the Lobos offense as the El Paso product has shot 35.4% (23-of-65) from the field including 32% (8-of-25) from deep and 77.5% (31-of-40) from the charity stripe to average 9.4 points per game with 37 rebounds, 18 assists, 19 steals and a block.
 
SRSU HEAD COACH XAVIER WEBB
Xavier Webb is now in his fifth season at the helm of the Sul Ross State men's basketball program. Webb holds an overall record of 43-90 during his time leading his alma mater. Before transitioning to Division II, Webb led the Lobos to two American Southwest Conference tournaments with 20 All-ASC selections and 41 All-ASC academic honorees.
 
The Riverton, Wyoming native started his collegiate playing career at Sheridan College and Central Wyoming College before finishing his final two seasons at Sul Ross State. The Lobos won the ASC West Division Title for the first time in 10 years during Webb's junior campaign. 
 
THE SERIES
Sunday afternoon marks the 28th all-time meeting on the hardwood between the Buffaloes and Lobos in a series that dates back to January of 1927. The Buffs are 24-3 in the series, winning the last 11 meetings. Last season saw the two teams renew the series following a 38-year hiatus.
 
The last meeting saw four different Buffaloes finish in double-figures in a 93-66 victory at the Gallego Center in Alpine. Ahamed Mohammed went 8-of-13 from the floor including a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe for a game-high 25 points followed by Narit Chotikavanic (18), Nicholas Jett (16) and Mackenzie Morgan (14).
 
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 276-65 (.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 296-78 (.797) overall and 157-44 (.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).