Canyon, Texas- The University of the Southwest men’s basketball team finished up their non-conference schedule today with an exhibition game against NCAA Division 2 #5 ranked West Texas A&M. The Mustangs played tough with West Texas A&M early on but would go on to lose 120-70.

“The guys played tough today in our exhibition against #5 West Texas A&M” said Head Coach, Cory Hitchcock. “We had the opportunity to get better today and we improved as a team. Our tough stretch of playing six Division 2 schools out of the last seven games is over. We were pushed and challenged in each contest. We grew as a team and guys improved individually. Now it’s time to start preparing for conference. Next week is a big week and I can’t wait to see how the guys perform.”

The Mustangs had ten different players score in the contest. Joshua Harris and Thurbil Bile lead the way with 12 points each. Akeem Black followed them by chipping in 9 points.

The game was pretty tight in the first half with the Mustangs and The Buffs exchanging leads. The Buffs didn’t open it up until the last 6 minutes of the first half. After that the deficit was too big for the Mustangs to overcome.

Looking ahead the Mustangs look to regroup and take what they’ve learned with their tough pre-conference schedule and utilize it toward their first conference game. Huston-Tillotson University (1-8) will travel to The ‘Dox’ for the RRAC Conference opener on Thursday, December 5th. Tip-off is 7:30 MST.