WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State might have needed a second closeout opportunity against No. 12 West Texas A&M Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

But the final result was no fluke.

The Mustangs (7-12, 3-4 LSC) snapped an eight-game slide to WT with a 100-90 win in overtime with solid play on both ends of the floor.

"We competed at our best," sophomore guard Pierre Sanders aid. "We played and did the things we do in practice. Our defense was our main point. We needed to compete with our defense. That's what really got us this win. Our offense and energy came from our defense."

Sanders scored a career-high 21 points and matched career bests with nine rebounds and eight assists to lead MSU to its first win over the Buffs since the 2016-17 season.

The Mustangs delivered great offensive efficiency shooting 55 percent from the floor while matching a campaign best with 14 3-pointers. Led by Sanders, MSU dished out 20 assists on 33 made field goals.

"When you drive and play for each other as opposed to yourself, those are the results you are going to get. It's just a more efficient product," MSU coach Justin Leslie said. "The ball has energy. An object in motion stays in motion. When we get flowing, it's really fun to watch. I was really proud of the way our guards played tonight."

The Mustangs appeared to grasp control of the game with 14-5 run fueled by a pair of Terrell Wilson 3-pointers late in the second half with the second triple giving MSU a 76-66 lead with 4:38 to play.

But Zach Toussaint wouldn't let the Buffs go away silently.

The sophomore guard scored 21 of his game high 36 points after the Mustangs assumed a 10-point lead right before the final media timeout.

He hit back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the lead to four points, then seven consecutive free throws in the final 90 seconds to trim MSU's lead to 82-81 with 47 seconds to play.

After John Weger hit a jumper in the lane to push the lead back to three, Toussaint drilled a 30-footer to send the game to overtime tied at 84-all.

"In my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have anticipate Zach Toussaint putting on a shooting performance like that," Leslie said. "That forced us into a lot of situations where we had to answer."

Midwestern State put the game away by limiting West Texas A&M to a pair of Toussaint field goals. Meanwhile, Sanders and Jermane Carter hit consecutive 3-pointers to put the Mustangs in front.

MSU salted the game away by going 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds.

"We didn't let West Texas dictate the way the game was played," Leslie said. "We were the aggressors on both ends of the floor. We should do that every night."

Carter also scored 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting with four 3-pointers while pulling down seven rebounds. Wilson chipped in 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting with three 3-pointers adding nine rebounds and four assists.

Junior Julius Brown added 21 points for the West Texas A&M which fell to 17-4 on the season and 4-3 in league play.

Midwestern State returns to D.L. Ligon Coliseum Saturday afternoon against Cameron. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
  Read Full Article