WISCONSIN DELLS, WISCONSIN – West Texas A&M Men's Basketball (3-0, 0-0 LSC) came up clutch down the stretch Sunday evening against No. 17 Grand Valley State as they knocked off the Lakers 71-70.
Logan Gibson gave WT the lead with eight seconds left before the defense made a stand to secure the win.
The first five minutes of the game bounced back-and-forth as the teams found their grove of the game. WT held a 9-7 lead after a triple by
Jailyn Sledge as he scored five of the first nine points. The tight play continued as West Texas A&M would lead 16-15. The Buffs started to pull away with a 9-0 run after two buckets by
Joel Robinson and a cashed three by
Zach Brown as they now led by double-digits. Grand Valley State chipped away at that lead as they cut the lead down to four as WT called a timeout. The Lakers drained a three to get within one-point, but
Ben Walton responded with a three of his own to stop the bleeding. West Texas A&M stayed composed from the GVSU run and rebuilt their lead as Brown splashed his second three to set the score at 39-31 with 2:25 left in the half. WT held firm on that lead as they took a 41-35 advantage into halftime.
The start of the second half saw the Buffs look to hold off the 17th ranked Lakers but they would bury a three to give them a 49-48 lead. The teams stayed interlocked over the next five minutes before GVSU looked to pull away with an 11-4 run as they led 64-55 with under six minutes to play. The Buffaloes continued to fight with a 6-0 run as they did not go away quietly. The teams traded layups before Robinson cashed a three with 2:35 remaining to cut the deficit down to two. Grand Valley State finished a layup on their ensuing possession, but WT got one right back after keeping the possession alive with multiple offensive rebounds from great effort. Robinson scored with 1:40 remaining as the score was set at 70-68. West Texas A&M got the needed stop on the next possession as they secured a board but turned the ball over with 40 seconds to go. Right back on the defensive end, the Buffaloes again kept the Lakers off the scoreboard as they drew an offensive foul with 20 seconds remaining. Down two with the ball, West Texas A&M opted for the win and would be rewarded as
Logan Gibson splashed a three with eight seconds remaining off an assist by
James Parlow Jr. The Lakers called timeout as they played for the win but had a jumper in the paint rejected by Parlow Jr. who came away with the clutch block. Grand Valley State still had possession off the team offensive rebound and called another timeout with less than one second remaining. The defense locked down one more time as they forced a turnover as time expired. West Texas A&M would knock off No. 17 Grand Valley State 71-70 as they moved to 3-0 on the season.
Top Buffs
- Logan Gibson recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He added three assists and a block and steal while shooting 4/5 from the field and 6/9 from the free throw line.
- Joel Robinson scored an efficient 17 points on 6/10 shooting to go with four rebounds. Robinson also drained two of his four three-pointers.
- James Parlow Jr. recorded eight points, three assists, and three stocks (two steals and one block).
Buffalo Bits
- West Texas A&M is now 1-0 all-time against Grand Valley State.
- WT led the game in three-pointers made (10-7), assists (12-7), blocks (5-2), and second chance points (13-10).
- Zach Brown tallied six points, five rebounds, a block, and an assist. He scored both of his points off a pair of threes.
- Max George made two threes to give him six points with four rebounds.
- Ryder Cheesman, Ben Walton, and Jailyn Sledge all scored five points. Cheesman added three rebounds, two assists, and a block. Walton grabbed two rebounds and Sledge blocked a shot.
- Austin Prosser made a three for his three points.
- Sean Jimmy-Ducksworth grabbed three rebounds.
Up Next
West Texas A&M will be back in action on Monday, November 9 as they host Oklahoma Panhandle State for their home opener at the First United Bank Center. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.
For all the latest on West Texas A&M Men's Basketball, stay tuned to
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