COLLEGE SPORTS ROUNDUP: Lady Buff's basketball beat Northern New Mexico 100-58
It was an outstanding day for the West Texas A&M women's basketball team on Wednesday as it got an enormous victory.
The No. 7 Lady Buffs, according to the latest WBCA poll, defeated Northern New Mexico 100-58 in an exhibition game and Community Day which included a crowd of more than 1,000 local elementary students.
It was close after one quarter, 26-19, before WT pulled away, going up 54-32 at the midway point en route to the 42-point win.
It was a banner day for the freshmen class as the Lady Buffs (9-1, 3-1 in Lone Star Conference) were led by former Shallowater standout Bree Brattain, who scored 20 points. Zoey McBroom, a Canyon grad, was second with 17 points, Canadian grad Mattie Boyd added 16, and Wellington product Kyla Kane put up 13.
McKauley Gregory also reached double-digits with 12 points.
WT is slated to participate in the Tampa Holiday Classic, opening competition with a noon Sunday contest against Florida Tech at the Martinez Athletics Center in Tampa.
The Lady Buffs end their run of play with a 1 p.m. Monday game against No. 9 Tampa.
Thorton named Conference Player of the Week
Damion Thorton picked up a big honor this week as he was named Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week. It's the second time Thorton has picked up the honor this season.
Thorton averaged 21 points per game last weekend, netting 24 against TAMIU and 18 against Kingsville. He went 13-of-23 from the field in those two contests.
Thorton is averaging 17 points per game this season for the Buffs (6-2, 4-0 in Lone Star Conference), who are in the midst of a six-game winning streak and ranked 24th in the latest NABC poll.
WT track and field
Following the indoor season opener in Pittsburg, Kansas, West Texas A&M track and field had three student-athletes receive Lone Star Conference Athlete of the Week honors on Thursday with Leah Belfield, Miriam Zanovello, and Isaac Botsio.
The trio was rewarded for their performances at the Crimson & Gold Invitational last weekend as Botsio and Belfield were named Men’s and Women’s Track Athletes of the Week while Zanovello received the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week accolades. Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Thomas Nieto earned the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week honors.
Belfield, a junior from New Zealand, grabbed her first victory of the season after running 7.48 to set a new meet record in the 60-meter dash. Her provisional time in the event marks the sixth fastest time in program history and moves her to eighth in the Division II standings.
Zanovello led the Lady Buffs jumps squad that placed three in the Top 10 as the Chivasso, Italy product won the long jump invite on her third attempt at 19-1.25 (5.82m). She returned to the pit for the triple jump where she placed third at 40-4.25 (12.30m), which ranks fourth in the nation.
In his NCAA collegiate debut, Botsio matched the program's seventh fastest time in the 60-meter, running a provisional time of 6.69 to finish third. The Takoradi, Ghana product’s time currently leads the nation alongside Tiffin’s Malachi Adams.
WT will return to the indoor season to compete in the Texas Tech Corky Classic on Jan. 13-14 in Lubbock at the Sports Performance Center on the campus of Texas Tech.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WT ROUNDUP: Women's basketball beat Northern New Mexico 100-58
