CANYON, Texas – The Angelo State Belle basketball team travelled to face the No. 8 West Texas A&M Buffs in Canyon, Texas, but couldn't overcome the slow start at the beginning of the game, falling to the Buffs, 46-79.
 
The Belles drop to a 1-8, 1-8 LSC record while the Buffs move to an 11-1, 10-1 LSC record.
 
West Texas A&M quickly jumped to a five-point lead over the Belles, but a made jump shot from Jade Mbam cut the Buffs lead to three over Angelo State, 5-2. The Buffs showed their shooting skills as WT over the course of the first period grew their lead to double digits over Angelo State, leading the Belles by 23 leading into the second quarter, 29-6.
 
Madeline Stephens sunk two free throws, while Sadie Misner sank a three-point shot to cut their deficit to 21, 32-11, but the Buffs quickly responded and grew their lead to 27 over Angelo State with 4:22 left in the first half. Misner, making a jumper in the paint, and Samantha Rocha making a layup ended the quarter for the Belles as WT made a jump shot and a layup, sinking two free throws to end the first half, WT leading Angelo State by 32, 47-15.
 
A three-point shot made by Sawyer Lloyd brought the push the Belles needed to get their shots going, as Stephens made a layup to cut the Buffs lead to 37, 57-20. Another layup from Stephens, a made jump shot and two free throws from Rocha, and two free throws by Stephens cut the Buffs lead down to 34 over Angelo State, 62-28.
 
WT grew their lead to 44 over Angelo State with 7:55 left in the game, but through determination and not giving up the fight, the Belles managed to cut the Buffs lead down to just 33 before the clock ran out. WT finished the game shooting .453 percent from the field, .400 from beyond the three point line, and .786 from the free throw line.
 
Key Players:

• Stephens led the Belles in both offense and defense against the Buffs, scoring 14 points for Angelo State. Stephens registered 10 total rebounds, two offensive and eight defensive, whilst grabbing one assist and a steal.
• Lloyd followed closely behind Stephens, scoring 12 points for ASU while grabbing four defensive rebounds. She also ended the night with a steal and four assists.
• Rocha closed out the night with seven points for the Belles, grabbing three offensive and defensive rebounds each, along with one block and one assist.

 
Up Next:
The Belles host the Buffs in the second game of the series in San Angelo, Texas in the Stephens Arena in the JUnell Center on Saturday, February 6. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m.