Silver City, N.M. - Western New Mexico University's Men's Basketball team had Drag's Court electric after defeating the Angelo State Rams 79-74. The Mustangs are now 10-6 on the year and 3-4 in LSC play. 

The Mustangs were down early but by the end of the first half, the Mustangs led 36-31. Joshuwan Johnson (Phoenix, AZ/Maricopa High School) gave the Mustangs momentum going into the second half after hitting a buzzer beater to end the first half. 

"Josh played well again tonight. When he's aggressive and plays downhill, he's really hard to stop," said Head Coach Zane Gibson.

Three Mustangs scored in double figures, J.Johnson led the Mustangs with 22pts, Jordan Doss (Chicago, Ill./Chicago Hope Academy) haad 20pts, and Tony Avalos (Las Cruces, NM/Onate HS) ended with 16pts. 

As a team, WNMU shot 45.7%, going 21-46. From three, the Mustangs were 28.6%, going 4-14. WNMU produced at the free throw line going 33-41 (80.5%). 

Foul trouble hurt the Rams, having 27 total fouls. Both teams turned the ball over more than what they are accustomed to. The Rams had 15 and the Mustangs had 18, with both teams converting 14pts off of turnovers.

Both teams rebounded the ball well. ASU led with 32, as for the Mustangs boarding 30. Of the Rams 32 rebounds, 12 were offensive rebounds. WNMU.

WNMU had good ball movement with 14 assists and got the ball inside the paint having 28pts. The Mustangs bench produced 30pts.

"The bench was great tonight and more so than just scoring," said Gibson. "Dylan (Arnette) guarded his tail-off and was a major factor in the game, not giving them a tough time all around."

The Rams offense didn't have their best night, shooting 24-62 (38.7%) and it translated to the three ball shooting 21.7% (5-23) . 

Angelo State's Notable Players:

Lathaniel Bastian: 23pts, 9 reb, 1 blk, 3 stl

Paul Williams: 17pts (11-11 FT), 1 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl

Kelyn Pennie: 13pts, 2 reb

Dante Moses: 10pts, 3 reb, 1 ast

PLAYERS TO HIGHLIGHT:

J. Johnson: 22pts (3-5 3FG), (11-12 FT), 1 reb, 1 ast

J. Doss: 20pts (9-11 FT), 5 reb, 3 ast

T. Avalos: 16pts (6-8 FT), 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl

"UTPB is very good and playing well right now. If we aren't ready, they can come in and make life very hard on us," said Gibson. "We need to have total focus tomorrow on our game plan against them."

The (10-7) Mustangs will play UTPB at Drag's court on Saturday for a 4:00pm tip-off.

This game recap is presented by First American Bank. First American Bank is a proud supporter of WNMU Athletics!  

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 Western New Mexico University is a member of the NCAA Division II, and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For additional information regarding Mustang Athletics, visit www.wnmumustangs.com; visit wnmu.edu for more information about Western New Mexico University. Follow the Mustangs on social media: @WNMUathletics (Twitter & Instagram).