CANYON, Texas – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men's Basketball nearly came back from a 20-point halftime deficit in its conference opener at West Texas A&M Thursday, ultimately suffering an 83-77 setback.

UAFS led 18-17 at the 9:20 mark of the opening half before the Buffs took the lead with a 6-0 run. The deficit was 31-26 with five and a half minutes to go in the half, but the Buffs closed the half on a 20-5 run for a 51-31 lead at the break.

The Lions had shot 52.2 percent in the first 20 minutes, but turned the ball over 11 times compared to just one for WT.

UAFS slowly started chipping away, eventually cutting the deficit to single digits at 71-62 with 4:42 remaining. The Lions inched ever closer, getting within 80-73 and 82-77 but eventually ran out of time to complete the comeback.

Guard Payton Brown scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half to lead all scorers. He went 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Forward David Ekezie added 15 points and five rebounds while guard Cameron Bush stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

For the game, the Lions shot 53.1 percent from the floor, but the Buffs had a 27-7 advantage in points off turnovers. WT also had a 38-19 edge in bench points, while the Lions had an 18-9 advantage in second chance points.

UAFS shot 53.9 percent in the second half while holding the Buffs to 28.0 percent.

The Lions continue the road trip at Lubbock Christian Saturday at 3 p.m.