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(RV) West Texas A&M (1-0) vs. Pittsburg State (0-0)


Date
Saturday, November 1st | 5:00 p.m.


Location
St. Joseph, Missouri – Civic Arena


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Game Notes

CANYON, Texas – The Buffaloes of West Texas A&M close out the opening weekend of the 2025-26 campaign as they conclude the D2CCA Tipoff Classic on Saturday night as they take on the Pittsburg State Gorillas with tipoff set for 5:00 p.m. at Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri.
 
D2CCA TIPOFF CLASSIC

WT participates for in the D2CCA Tipoff Classic for the third consecutive year after hosting last year’s event in Canyon. This year’s D2CCA Tipoff men’s field features Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri State, Pittsburg State, Minnesota State, Missouri-St. Louis and West Texas A&M.
 
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS
Pittsburg State has high hopes following an 18-12 overall record with a 13-6 mark in MIAA action. The Gorillas picked up a big 96-63 win over Nebraska-Kearney in the opening round of the MIAA Championships in Kansas City before falling to Central Oklahoma, 93-81 in the second round.
 
Pitt State returns one starter – senior center Tane Prictor – and four letterwinners from last year’s squad that posted an 18-12 overall record. The Gorillas welcome four transfers into the program:  redshirt junior forward Donald Coats, junior guards Dale Griffin Jr. and Connor Rogers and sophomore forward/center Alijah Curry.
 
Prictor (Bend, Ore.) averaged 7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and a block a game while shooting .620 from the field a year ago. Against Central Oklahoma (Mar. 8, 2025) in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals, Prictor recorded a 16-point, 17-rebounds double-double performance. The 6-11, 275-pound senior center has recorded 81 blocked shots in 72 career games, ranking sixth in Pitt State history heading into his final campaign. Against Nebraska – Kearney (Jan. 11, 2024) finished with a career-high six blocks.
 
PSU HEAD COACH JEFF BOSCHEE
Jeff Boschee begins his fourth year as head basketball coach at Pittsburg State in 2025-26. He guided the Gorillas to a 21-11 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament after posting a 15-7 mark in MIAA play in 2023-24, with Pitt State reaching the finals of the MIAA Postseason Tournament that season.
 
Prior to accepting the Pitt State position, Boschee served as head coach at MIAA rival Missouri Southern State University the previous eight seasons. Boschee directed MSSU to four 20-win seasons and three consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament between the 2017-18 and the 2019-20 campaigns. He was selected the 2017-18 MIAA Coach of the Year and his 2018-19 squad reached the NCAA Sweet 16 while posting a 25-8 record. Including four seasons as an assistant, MSSU compiled a 237-118 (.668) record during Boschee’s time on the Lions’ staff.
 
THE SERIES
Saturday marks the ninth all-time meeting on the hardwood between the Buffaloes and Gorliias. WT is 5-3 in the series that dates back to 1941, winning the last two meetings. Saturday marks the fifth matchup on a neutral court and just the second in the state of Missouri. 
 
The last matchup came on December 18, 2018 as Brandon Hall scored a team-best 23 points while dishing out nine assists as four other Buffs joined Hall scoring double-figures in a 93-80 victory by the Buffs at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 
MISSOURI WESTERN REWIND
The Buffaloes started out the season in style on Friday night as they picked up an 87-75 victory over the Missouri Western Griffons during the season opener in St. Joseph, Missouri.
 
Fontaine Williams led the team with 17 points and added three steals. Brock Mishak contributed 11 points while making five steals and distributing three assists. Zach Brown scored 14 points, converting six of his eight field goal attempts. Camden Cowgill tallied 16 points, highlighted by three 3-pointers, and pulled down five rebounds.
 
WT HEAD COACH TOM BROWN
Tom Brown, who enters his 12th season at the helm of the West Texas A&M men’s basketball program, has built the Buffs into one of the elite NCAA Division II programs in the nation.  He has guided WT to nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments including the Buffs first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship game in 2021. 
 
Brown was hired as the 17th head coach in program history on April 16, 2014. In the past 10 seasons, Coach Brown and his staff are 267-62 (.812) and an average of 27 wins a season with appearances in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four (2) and National Title game. During his time in Canyon, Brown is 286-75 (.792) overall and 155-43 (.783) in league action. 
 
LSC PRESEASON POLL

Defending Regional Champion Dallas Baptist claimed 42 of the possible 51 first place votes for a total of 850 points to sit atop of the poll followed by St. Mary’s (two first place, 724), Lubbock Christian (four first place, 720), St. Edward’s (669) and West Texas A&M (two first place, 654) to round out the top five.
 

Angelo State and Eastern New Mexico tied for sixth with 592 points followed by Midwestern State (558), UT Permian Basin (468), Texas A&M International (one first place, 350), Texas A&M-Kingsville (330), Cameron (301), Oklahoma Christian (266), UT Tyler (260), Western New Mexico (193), UT Dallas (188) and Sul Ross State (88).
 
St. Mary’s Damani Claxton was tabbed the league’s Preseason Player of the Year. The Bronx, New York native averaged 17.1 points, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season. He made 45 3-pointers and shot 80.4 percent from the free throw line. Claxton was named LSC Newcomer of the Year and earned first-team All-LSC honors.
 
NABC DIVISION II PRESEASON POLL

The Buffaloes are receiving votes in the preseason edition of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll announced earlier this week. The South Central Region is represented by Dallas Baptist (3rd), Colorado School of Mines (10th), Black Hills State (17th), Lubbock Christian (25th), St. Mary’s (RV), West Texas A&M (RV) and Colorado Mesa (RV).
 
2024-25 RECAP
The 2024-25 campaign saw WT made the NCAA National Tournament for a ninth-consecutive season where three freshmen made the LSC All-Freshman team. The Buffs also posted a 3.48 GPA in the classroom, tops in the Lone Star Conference for a second consecutive year. WT was named a recipient of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Academic Excellence Award as Brock Mishak and Nicholas Jett were named to the NABC Honor Court.
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