Jan. 14, 2012

Final Stats

GOODWELL, OK - Despite turning the ball over 21 times, a late second half run proved to be the difference as the Texas A&M International University Men's Basketball team knocked off Oklahoma Panhandle State 68-57. The win marks the end of the Dustdevils four game road trip where TAMIU finished 3-1.

"This wasn't the type of performance we were looking for," said Head Coach Shane Rinner. "We are always glad to have a conference win on the road, but this kind of play won't get us far as we move further into conference. Defensively I thought we played good enough to win, and we hit our free throws late in the game which is good to see on the road."

Evan Matteson led the Dustdevils offensive attack for the second straight game, racking up a game high 15 points. Brian Schaeffer and Scottie Payne kicked in 13 points apiece, while Joe Reid and Ryan McLucas each added 10. TAMIU outshot OPSU 44 percent to 37 from the field and 38 percent to 26 from distance.

Neither team was able to gain a sizeable advantage in the first half until TAMIU used a 7-0 run with 6:09 remaining to take an eight point lead (19-11). The Aggies cut the lead down to three points with just two seconds remaining in the half, but Scottie Payne buried a three at the buzzer to give TAMIU a six point halftime edge (24-18).

The second half was a dogfight with the Aggies grabbing their first lead of the game with 7:11 remaining (42-43). The Dustdevils rallied to tie the game at 46 and took control from that point on. TAMIU went on an 11-0 run over the next five minutes to take an 11 point lead (57-46) with 59 seconds remaining. The Dustdevils were 8-8 from the free throw line in the final minute, locking up the 68-57 win.

TAMIU improved their conference record to 3-1 on the season, 13-4 overall. The Dustdevils will be back in Laredo for their conference home opener hosting Arkansas Fort-Smith Saturday, January 21 at 12 p.m. at the TAMIU KCB.