Nov. 11, 2011

Final Stats

Laredo, Texas - Ryan McLucas scored 15 points and teammate Evan Matteson added 11, as the Texas A&M International University Men's Basketball team downed regional foe Incarnate Word 71-58 on the opening day of the Heartland/Lone Star Crossover Challenge.

The win was achieved in classic Shane Rinner style with hard-nosed defense, plenty of hustle and high percentage shots. The Dustdevils shot 50% from the field and a phenomenal 58% from beyond the arc.

McLucas came out of the gates on fire, putting up 13 points in the first half shooting 3-4 from three-point range. Matteson on the other hand started slow, scoring only two points in the first half then coming to life in the second half with nine. The big senior also added a game high nine boards as TAMIU outrebounded the Cardinals 36-29.

Several familiar faces also played key roles for the Dustdevils, as returners Armando Brito, Scottie Payne, Ian Salter and Brian Schaeffer combined for 28 points.

Newcomers Joe Reid, Tyree Murray and Jayvin Reynolds also logged quality minutes. Reid recorded eight points, while Reynolds and Murray added six and three respectively.

TAMIU trailed for most of the opening half, falling as far back as 34-27 with three minutes remaining. The Dustdevils would cut the gap to two at the half, closing on a 7-2 run capped off by a buzzer beater by Joe Reid.

With the game tied at 50 late in the 2nd half, Scottie Payne sprang into action scoring all eight of his points with under 8 minutes left in regulation. A three pointer by Evan Matteson with just under four minutes remaining gave the Dustdevils a nine point lead, from which the Cardinals could not recover.

The opening day of the Heartland/Lone Star Crossover Challenge was a good one for the Heartland Conference, who was 2-0 with U.T.P.B. defeating Texas A&M Kingsville.

The win improves TAMIU's overall record versus Incarnate Word to 3-7. The Dustdevils will be back on the floor Saturday afternoon taking on Texas A&M Kingsville at 4 p.m.