CANYON, TEXAS – West Texas A&M Men's Basketball (4-0, 0-0 LSC) played their first game at the First United Bank Center Monday evening and came away with a 59-37 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State. WT's defense held the Aggies to 24.5% shooting while forcing 23 turnovers.
West Texas A&M opened the game on a 9-4 with
KJ Thomas accounting for five of those points. After their first bucket of the game at 17:53, Oklahoma Panhandle State went six minutes without scoring a field goal. The Buffs defense was able to contest shots and muck up their offense. While WT's defense was tight, the offense could not find a consistent rhythm initially as they led 11-10 at the 10:47 mark of the first half. West Texas A&M would create separation with an 11-2 run where Thomas drained a pair of threes while
Joel Robinson also added a triple. The Buffaloes had a strong close to the half with a 7-1 run where they had two breakaway layups off steals as well as a triple
Kemper Jones. WT would lead 29-15 at halftime as they held OPSU to 16.7% from the field.
Moving into the second half, the defense stayed persistent as they made halfcourt offense difficult for the Aggies while shutting down any opportunities for transition offense. The Buffaloes offense continued to be powered by the long ball as three-pointers by
Logan Gibson and
James Parlow Jr. would push the lead up to 17. West Texas A&M would ultimately lead by 15+ points the rest of the way as their biggest lead would come at 25 points. The score would finalize at 59-37 in favor of the Buffs after a strong defensive performance. This was the fewest points WT has allowed in a game since they gave up 39 to Texas A&M Commerce on February 27, 2013
Top Buffs
- KJ Thomas made his Buff debut and produced a team-high 13 points on an efficient 5/8 shooting. He went 3/4 from three while adding four rebounds, an assist, and steal.
- Logan Gibson compiled seven points, six rebounds, and a block and steal. He also made all four of his free throws. This was Gibson's third game this season with a block and steal.
- Kemper Jones scored a season-high seven points while knocking in a pair of threes. He added a rebound and assist.
Buffalo Bits
- West Texas A&M is now 63-6 all-time against Oklahoma Panhandle State and have won 13 straight games over the Aggies.
- WT led the game in field goal percentage (32.1-24.5), three-pointers made (11-2), free throws made (14-11), assists (12-7), blocks (4-2), steals (9-8), points off turnovers (21-7), fast break points (12-2), and bench points (31-17).
- Ryder Cheesman tallied six points (3/5) and four rebounds in his 15 minutes. Cheesman added an assist and steal.
- Jailyn Sledge and Kaden Hooker each scored five points. Sledge added a block while Hooker dished two assists and nabbed two steals.
- James Parlow Jr. scored six points.
- Austin Prosser and Sean Jimmy-Ducksworth grabbed five and four rebounds respectively. This was Prosser's second game with 5+ boards.
- TJ Brown totaled three points, two rebounds, and three stocks.
- Ben Walton and Joel Robinson each came away with three points.
Up Next
West Texas A&M will be back in action on Friday, November 13 as they take on Chadron State in the Bison Conference Challenge. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
For all the latest on West Texas A&M Men's Basketball, stay tuned to
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