The West Texas A&M men’s basketball team didn’t feel a lull coming off the Christmas break picking up two Lone Star Conference home wins over Midwestern State and Cameron on Friday and Sunday afternoon.
The Buffs remain perfect in the LSC at 6-0 and move to 8-4 overall on the season.
On Friday night, the Buffs survived a scare from the Mustangs holding on for a 72-71 victory. The Buffs held on in the second half despite the Mustangs rally when MSU brought the game within five with seven minutes left of regulation. The lead was threatened with less than 45 seconds on the clock, but the Buffs were able to hang on.
WT then rang in the 2023 with a convincing 102-80 victory against Cameron on Sunday. It’s the Buffs 142nd time to hit the century mark in program history.
Forward Larry Wise had a fantastic two games for the Buffs as the junior poured in 25 points against MSU, followed by a 20-point effort against the Aggies going 4-of-11 from 3-point range.
As a team, WT shot 44.4 percent against MSU and 45.8 percent against Cameron.
WT continues LSC play on the road at Angelo State at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, and against UT Permian Basin at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The No. 5-ranked West Texas A&M Lady Buffs also came off the Christmas break in fine fashion cruising to two dominating victories against Midwestern State and Cameron on Friday and Sunday.
The Lady Buffs (12-2 overall, 5-1 LSC) used stellar defense and hot shooting to down MSU on Friday, 86-71, then an 81-48 win over Cameron on Sunday.
During Friday’s win the Lady Buffs were flat out on fire from the perimeter going 25-of-49 (51) from the floor including 12-of-23 (52.2 percent) from downtown, as well as 24-of-29 (82.8 percent) from the charity stripe.
Point guard Zamorye Roberts had a team-high 13 points going 4-of-6 from the floor, and teammate Karley Motschenbacher added 12.
On Sunday, Motschenbacher blistered Cameron with a game-high 16 points shooting 6-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point land. Forward Lauren Taylor was equally impressive sparking a 15-3 second quarter run with back-to-back 3-pointers finishing the game with 12 points.
WT forced a combined 15 steals and outrebounded both MSU and Cameron 73-62.
“It was a great two games for the Lady Buffs,” WT head coach Josh Prock said. “We guarded really well, and we need to separate ourselves on the defensive end, not the offensive end. But I’m happy how we executed on offense and sharing the ball.”
The Lady Buffs continues LSC play on the road at Angelo State at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, and against UT Permian Basin at 1 p.m. on Saturday.