West Texas A&M post Abby Spurgin (34) goes up for a score against Angelo State during a Lone Star Conference game Thursday night at the First United Bank Center. [Tom Carver/ Press Pass Sports]
Hot shooting and stingy defense was a successful recipe for West Texas A&M during a 79-58 thumping of Lone Star Conference rival Angelo State on Thursday night at the First United Bank Center.
The victory was an eighth straight for Lady Buff team that moves to 15-3 overall, and 8-1 in the LSC.
It was also the kind of start WT coach Kristen Mattio wanted to see from her team entering a crucial weekend with No. 2-ranked Lubbock Christian University coming to Canyon on Saturday. Especially since the game is now for outright first place in the division. LCU was stunned, falling to Eastern New Mexico, 69-68 in overtime Thursday night, snapping a 25-game win streak for the defending NCAA Division II national champions.
“This is a big week for us,” Mattio said. “I think we knew that this was the kind of weekend that would be big to our season. We knew we had to have an elite level of focus stepping onto this court. We need to maintain it Saturday.”
WT never trailed, leading ASU (8-5, 5-4) for 39 plus minutes.
The Lady Buffs opened the game leading by as many as 13 points thanks to the hot-hand of guard Delaney Nix.
Nix torched the Rambelles zone scoring nine of her career-high 21 points on 3 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc.
West Texas A&M guard Delaney Nix (10) scored a career high 21 points against Angelo State on Thursday. [Tom Carver/ Press Pass Sports]
In fact, all of Nix 21 points came from 3-point land, as the sophomore never lost her touch, going 7 of 11 for the game.
“It was good to get off to a fast start,” Nix said. “That really gets my confidence going, and I feel as a shooter I can knock it down from anywhere. We passed the ball really well as a team, and we were great in transition. That made us really tough to stop.”
WT made 18 assists as a team, outscored ASU in the paint 36-18, and shot 50 percent (29 of 58) from the field.
Nix wasn’t the only Lady Buff to light up the scoreboard. Sophomore post Braylyn Dollar poured in 16, Abby Spurgin scored 12 and Sienna Lenz added 10.
Defensively, WT held the Rambelles to 30 percent shooting, forced seven steals, and blocked 11 shots, including eight blocks by senior Tiana Parker.
“We did a good job inside against them,” Mattio said. “Their post, De’Anira Moore, is one of the best in the league, and collectively we made it tough for her. We rebounded, and tried the other playmakers at bay as much as we could.
Senior and Amarillo High graduate Catara Samuel scored 12 points for the Rambelles.
Up next: The Lady Buffs continue LSC action at home against LCU on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
For complete stats of Thursday nights game go to