CANYON, Texas – No. 3-ranked West Texas A&M struck the first blow Monday night at First United Bank Center.
 
Sophomore Zack Toussaint fueled the Buffs' 14-2 salvo in the opening 3 ½ minutes, then WT never let Midwestern State back into the game racing away with a 94-74 win.
 
"There is a lot of embarrassment in the locker room," MSU coach Justin Leslie said. "We didn't compete well enough to compete for Midwestern State. We didn't have what it took. We folded and we stepped back."
 
It was the start of a career night for the hot-shooting Toussaint, who connected on 11-of-19 shots from the field and hit five 3-pointers to finish with 27 points.
 
WT freshman Austin Shelley added three more 3-pointers for the Buffs in the opening half to allow the Buffs to construct a 24-point edge at the half.
 
"The whole point of the game plan was to not let Toussaint and Shelley get shots," Leslie said. "We need to establish a measuring stick. We haven't seen an elite team. I have been telling them how difficult it is to break through and compete at this level. Tonight, we were completely shell-shocked from the start."
 
Toussaint's performance was more than enough to offset Jermane Carter's career night for the Mustangs.
 
Carter logged his second collegiate double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds. The Lenape, N.J. native connected on 10-of-19 shots from the field and went 7-of-9 from the charity stripe in 29 minutes of floor time.
 
Carter improved upon his previous career best of 25 points and 14 rebounds set against Angelo State this spring.
 
Redshirt-freshman Jordan Teal tallied a season-best 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting with two 3-pointers, while senior John Weger scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds in 21 minutes off of the bench.
 
"Jordan and John showed a ton of heart and competitive fire to just compete on both ends of the floor," Leslie said.
 
Midwestern State hits the road to compete in the Decotah Bank Classic Friday and Saturday at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The Mustangs take on host Northern State (S.D.) Friday night at 7 p.m. before battling Minnesota-Crookston Saturday at 3.