SHAWNEE – A 42-point second half boosted No. 11 West Texas A&M (4-1, 0-0 LSC) to an 80-62 victory over Oklahoma Baptist (2-3, 0-0 GAC) on Saturday night inside the Noble Complex.
Despite trailing by a point going into halftime, OBU fell silent on the offensive end in the closing stanza and were held to a 37.5 percent shooting clip. Furthermore, the Bison shot just 47.6 percent from the free throw line, netting 10 of its 21 attempts.
It was OBU's worst showing from the charity stripe this season.
The struggles continued beyond the arc as Oklahoma Baptist put in 4-of-23 attempts from deep, also a season low.
OBU began to contest at an exceptional pace, building a slight two-point lead at the 11:23 mark in the first stanza following a Trevin Wade triple. Afterward, the clubs traded baskets until West Texas went ahead by three with five minutes remaining.
The Bison cut the lead down to one (36-35) before overtaking the advantage on a jump shot from Daniel Ransom. Shortly after, WT's Keiran Elliot put the cap on the half with a shot to give West Texas a one-point lead going into the break.
It was all WT in the final 20 minutes of play. The Buffs opened the second half on a 20-8 run that put the green and gold behind by 13 points (58-45). OBU would not recover against West Texas' suffocating defense and offensive attack.
Wade paced the Bison with a season-high 21 points, including 19 in the first half, on 61.5 (8-13) percent shooting. His stat sheet included a couple of three-pointers and five rebounds.
Terry Coner Jr. and Ransom poured in 16 and 15 points, respectively. Coner paired a game-high four assists with three boards, while Ransom led the squad in rebounds (6). Ransom also shot 6-of-9 from the field.
Oklahoma Baptist returns to the Noble Complex on Monday, Nov. 27, to close out its non-conference schedule against Arlington Baptist. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
