OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 2, 2022) – No. 3/4-ranked West Texas A&M lost at Arkansas-Fort Smith on Friday and a slow start against Oklahoma Christian on Sunday afternoon gave the Eagles a bit of hope they could also upset WT.

But after missing their first nine shots and falling behind 5-0, the Buffaloes – last season's NCAA Division II men's basketball runners-up – responded with a vengeance and eventually downed OC 91-56 in the Eagles' Nest.

WT (14-2, 1-1 Lone Star Conference) went 13 of 27 (48.1 percent) from 3-point range and 34 of 66 (51.5 percent) from the field in bouncing back from its loss at UAFS. Drew Tennial led OC (4-8, 1-1) with 13 points and five rebounds.

Tennial's 3-pointer gave OC the quick 5-0 lead with 17:46 left in the first half. Kavon Booker's tip-in was the Buffaloes' first successful shot in their first 10 attempts and began what became a 33-7 run over the next 11 minutes. Larry Wise's 3-pointer with 5:47 left in the first half made it 33-12.

A 7-0 spurt by the Eagles, highlighted by a 3-pointer by Moun'Tae Edmundson, pulled OC within 35-22, but WT put together another run and led 43-24 at halftime. The Buffaloes weren't called for a foul in the first half and didn't commit a turnover until the 4:38 mark of the half.

The Buffaloes kept extending their lead throughout the second half.

Five Buffaloes scored in double figures, with Zach Toussaint, Addison Wallace and Booker leading the way with 14 points each. Wise and Jesse Iweze scored 10 each. For OC, D.J. Walter, Edmundson and Justin Nimmer each scored eight points, Nimmer doing so on 4-of-5 shooting.

OC will go on the road for its next three games, all against LSC foes – on Thursday at Eastern New Mexico, on Saturday at No. 1-ranked Lubbock Christian (Texas) and on Jan. 11 at Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Eagles' next home game will be Jan. 15 against LSC opponent Western New Mexico.