MARSHALL, TX---The Men's Basketball program took on the Wiley College Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in a Red River Athletic Conference matchup. The Mustangs entered the half down 8 and were unable to overcome it in the 2nd half. Wiley defeated USW 79-69. The loss brings the Mustangs record to 8-7 and 3-2 in conference play. 

‪"The guys played tough and left it all on the court tonight" said Head Coach Cory Hitchcock. "We just couldn't get over the hump. Every time we would claw back and cut their lead to single digits they would go on another run. I just wish we could have shot better from the 3 pt line (11%) and did a better job on the boards. We gave up too many offensive rebounds and second chance points.  Even though we didn't play our best, these guys never gave up. They battled to the very end and played together as a team. This group is resilient and I am excited to see how we respond to a tough loss. I believe these guys will be ready to go next week."

Tyler Watkins came off the bench with 24 minutes of play and led the Mustangs in scoring. Watkins scored 22 points on 9-10 shooting that included 2 three-pointers and 2-3 from the free throw line. The senior also had 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. Nathaniel White (12 points) and Thurbil Bile (10 points)  were the only other Mustangs with double-digit points. The Mustangs shot 41.4% (29-70) from the field and 2-17 from the 3-pt line. The Mustang did force 21 turnovers, but were outrebounded 44-33 overall. 

The Mustangs are back at home on Thursday this week as they host the Texas College Steers at 7:30 PM MST.