SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A cold second half for the Missouri Western Men’s Basketball team dashed any chances of upsetting No. 13 Angelo State in a 96-84 loss at the St. Mary’s Thanksgiving Classic. The Griffons had three players match or set new career high point totals in the loss.

The Griffons shot 36 percent from the field and 23 percent from behind the arc and were outscored by 10 points in the second half of the loss. That came after 61 percent field goal shooting and 46 percent three-point shooting by the team in the first half. Missouri Western led by as many as 10 in the hot-shooting first frame but struggled to find the same stroke after going to halftime down 49-47.

In a game that featured 29 combined personal fouls, 30 for Angelo State and 29 for Missouri Western, the Griffons ended with four players with at least four personal fouls. Currie Byrd fouled out of the contest after scoring a career-high 17 points and pulling down six rebounds. Byrd was one of three Griffons who either matched or set a new career mark for points in a game. Aaron Emmanuel’s 16 points were a new career-high for the junior guard and Wes Mitter’s 15 matched a career best 15 points. The Griffons managed just nine offensive rebounds while allowing 21. On the defensive glass, the Griffons had just five less than Angelo State. The offensive rebounding advantage for Angelo State led to 20 second chance points, compared to nine for Missouri Western. The Griffons did force 20 Angelo State turnovers, scoring 14 points off the giveaways and outscored Angelo State in the paint 36-32 and off the bench, 41-31.

The loss dropped Missouri Western to 2-3 on the season. The Griffons wrap up their non-conference schedule Saturday when they play host-school, St. Mary’s, at 3 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —