Game Book (PDF)

THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Junior guard Devante Pullum poured in a career-high 21 points while dishing out a season-best nine assists to lead Midwestern State to its second win over a nationally-ranked opponent this season with an 84-78 victory over No. 11 West Texas A&M in front of 1,049 fans Thursday evening at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
Neither team took more than a five-point lead in the first half of play with West Texas A&M (15-2, 3-1 LSC) recording its largest lead of the night at 16-11 with 12:07 to play in the opening period after a three-pointer from Jordan Evans.
 
Midwestern State (9-4, 2-3 LSC) used an 8-2 run to grab a 22-20 advantage with 6:35 remaining in the first following a fastbreak slam from junior guard Brandon Neel to help the Mustangs claim their first lead in eight minutes of action.
 
The Mustangs posted their largest lead of the half at 30-25 with 2:35 to play following a jumper in the paint by junior forward Nick Powell before the Buffs answered with a 6-1 run to even the game in the final minute of the period. A Neel triple with 32 seconds to play in the half gave MSU a 34-31 advantage heading into the break.
 
Five different Mustangs scored in a 14-8 MSU run to open the second half with a Neel jumper giving the Maroon and Gold a 48-39 advantage with 14:45 left on the clock.
 
WT answered with a quick 9-0 spurt in 2:10 with a three-pointer by David Chavlovich evening the contest at 48 apiece.
 
It was a tight game for the next six minutes of play until a Neel layup gave Midwestern a seven-point edge at 63-56 with 5:48 remaining. Pullum scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the final 11:18, helping the Mustangs stretch their lead to as many as nine on four different occasions down the stretch.
 
Three-pointers for Chavlovich and Carl White helped WT put together a late push in the final two minutes of action, coming as close as three with 40 seconds to play. However, Pullum drained 7-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final 1:24 to help the Mustangs secure an 84-78 win.

NOTES
- Devante Pullum notched the first 20-point game of his career with 21 points on 6-of-10 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the line, surpassing his previous career high of 19 set on Nov. 23, 2014 against Colorado State-Pueblo
- Pullum's season-high nine assists tied for the highest by an MSU player this season, joining Pat Smith who totaled nine against Western State (Colo.) on Nov. 25, 2016
- Brandon Neel matched a career-high 19 points for the second-straight game on 7-of-11 shooting with a pair of triples
- Igor Ibaka recorded a double-double for the fourth-straight game and sixth time this season with 13 points and 13 rebounds, tying a season high on the glass
- Magnus Richards just missed out on a double-double, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds for the second-straight game
- Pat Smith also reached double figures with 11 points
- Midwestern State shot 47.3 percent from the floor, its third-highest shooting percentage this season
- The Mustangs totaled a season-high 28 made free throws on 41 trips to the charity stripe
- MSU led 16-2 in fastbreak points
- Midwestern State recorded its second win over a ranked opponent this season, defeating No. 23 Arkansas-Fort Smith, 83-80, in overtime in the season opener on Nov. 11, 2016
- Head coach Nelson Haggerty moved to 15-13 against nationally-ranked opponents with 10 of those wins coming against teams ranked in the top 15
- West Texas A&M was handed its first loss since Nov. 17, 2016, snapping a 10-game win streak for the Buffs
- David Chavlovich led WT with 23 points and eight rebounds

STAT OF THE GAME
17 – Devante Pullum scored 17 of his team-best 21 points in the final 11:18 of the game

UP NEXT 
Midwestern State closes out its homestand Saturday with a 4 p.m. matchup against UT Permian Basin at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.