Abbi Holder
Christian Guerrero
54
Southern Ark. SA 0-1,0-0 GAC
61
Winner West Tex. A&M WTAMU 1-0,0-0 Lone Star
Southern Ark. SA
0-1,0-0 GAC
54
Final
61
West Tex. A&M WTAMU
1-0,0-0 Lone Star
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Southern Ark. SA 8 12 15 19 54
West Tex. A&M WTAMU 16 11 16 18 61

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Strong Defensive Play Pushes No. 20 Lady Buffs to Season Opening Win Over Southern Arkansas

WT wins 61-54

CANYON, TEXAS – No. 20 West Texas A&M Women's Basketball (1-0, 0-0 LSC) come out victorious in front of their home crowd Saturday evening at the First United Bank Center (FUBC). The Lady Buffs took down Southern Arkansas 61-54 with a strong defensive game in their season opener.
 
The 20th ranked Lady Buffs set the tone early in the game with a 9-3 run after an inside finish by Taejhuan Hill. After giving up a three-pointer in the first two minutes, WT's defense did not allow another field goal in the first quarter until there were 59 seconds remaining in the first frame. During that time, West Texas A&M played with great pace off rebounds and crisply moved the ball to find open shots. WT made both of their three-point attempts as they held a 16-8 advantage after quarter one.
 
After building up an 11-point lead, Southern Arkansas used a 7-0 run to cut the lead down to four right before halftime. As WT forced a defensive stop with time ticking away, Zarai Lewis banked a running three-pointer to beat the buzzer giving West Texas A&M the 27-20 edge.
 
Moving into the second half, the Muleriders scored the first four points of the half cutting the lead back down to three points. The Lady Buffs responded with an avalanche run of 16-0 as the lead ballooned to 19 points at 43-24. During that run, Abbi Holder and Kerbie Cash drained back-to-back threes before Brooklyn Scurry muscled her way to an and-one in the paint as the FUBC roared to life. Holder sunk another three before Cash capped off the run with a layup. While momentum was on their side, SAU ended the half on an 11-0 run to set the score at 43-35 going to the fourth.
 
WT opened the fourth by bringing the lead back up to double digits with a 7-1 run with Cash splashing another three. SAU continued to fight every time WT looked to put the game away. In a four-minute stretch Southern Arkansas made four threes as the lead was brought down to a single possession at two points with the score set at 54-52 with 3:09 remaining. Hill scored a big bucket from the post to add insurance to lead, but the Muleriders got to two again with a pair of free throws. On their next possession, the Lady Buffs nearly turned the ball over right at halfcourt but were able to secure the ball. Off the scramble situation, Arissa Garcia fired a laser to a wide-open Holder in the paint who added two points. The Lubbock, Texas native in Holder came up big on the defensive end with a blocked shot and then drew a charge in that same sequence which was applauded by the packed FUBC crowd. The Lady Buffs closed the game out with more stout defense and free throws to secure a 61-54 season-opening win. After SAU cut the lead down to two with 3:09 remaining, they would be held without a field goal the remainder of the game.
 
Top Lady Buffs
  • Abbi Holder paced the Lady Buffs with 19 points on an efficient 7/8 shooting while making all three of her three-pointers. Holder added three rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
  • Kerbie Cash neared a double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds. She also drained three of her four three-point attempts.
  • Taejhuan Hill notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with a steal. Hill came away with five offensive rebounds.
 
Buffalo Bits  
Up Next
West Texas A&M will be back in action tomorrow as they take on No. 19 Tampa at 6:45 p.m. inside the FUBC.
 
For all the latest on West Texas A&M Women's Basketball, stay tuned to gobuffsgo.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
 
 
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