Westerners Survive 25 Lead Changes to Beat No. 19 Mineral Area

Big Spring, TX – The streak goes to six straight wins in dramatic fashion, edging No. 19 Mineral Area College 75–74 to improve to 8–5 on the season.

How we got there

Western Texas opened strong, jumping to a 10–4 lead in the first four minutes before the matchup settled into a back-and-forth battle. Mineral Area responded with a seven-point lead, but the Westerners countered and briefly went ahead by seven themselves with 1:27 left in the half. The Cardinals closed the period on a small run, sending WTC into the break trailing 40–42.

The second half continued the same razor-tight trend, with neither team able to gain real separation. Zayier Dean knocked down two clutch free throws in the final seconds, putting the Westerners up 75–71. Mineral Area buried a three on their final attempt, but it wasn't enough as WTC held on for the ranked victory.

Mineral Area shot 40.8% from the floor (29–71), while the Westerners were more efficient at 45.8% (22–48). WTC also earned the edge from deep, hitting 8–18 triples for 44.4% compared to Mineral Area's 35%. At the free-throw line, Western Texas converted 23–33 for 69.7%, outpacing the Cardinals' 9–15. Mineral Area won the rebounding battle 33–28 and posted a 16–10 advantage in second-chance points, but the Westerners answered with stronger bench production at 30–26. The game featured nine ties and an intense 25 lead changes, with the Cardinals' largest lead at seven and WTC's biggest at six, both coming in the first half.

Notes

Justin McCall led all scorers with 22 points, while Isak Homelius added 20 off the bench. Calvin Charles pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, and Zayier Dean contributed 14 points, including the go-ahead free throws.

Upcoming

The Westerners will hit the road on Tuesday, December 9th at 7 PM as they travel to Weatherford, TX to take on Weatherford College.