Jan. 22, 2012
Final Stats
LAREDO, Texas - After struggling in the opening half, the Texas A&M International University Men's Basketball team turned up the intensity in the second to secure a huge conference win.
The Dustdevils made 58 percent of their shots and held the University of Arkansas Fort-Smith (10-9, 3-3 HC) to just 37 percent shooting in the second half to knock off the lions 84-76 Saturday afternoon at the TAMIU KCB. The Dustdevils were aided by a raucous group of 465 fans, a season high for attendance this season.
"We were getting good shots in the first half, we just couldn't make them. When you're not making shots, you better be good defensively and we struggled on defense in the first 20 minutes. We played with a much higher level of intensity in the second half and we defended from the very beginning. I'm proud of the level of toughness we showed and with the way we were able to finish."
Fort-Smith was red hot to start the game, knocking down 14 of 25 shots from the field in the first half. The Lions were led by junior forward Djordje Stojanovic who was 4 for 4 from three-point range and scored 18 first half points. The Dustdevils trailed by as many as seven before cutting the lead down to three at halftime (39-36).
The TAMIU defense was suffocating in the final 20 minutes, holding the Lions to 10 of 27 shooting from the field, including 1-8 shooting from beyond the arc. The Dustdevils offense went in the opposite direction in the second half, draining 56 percent of their shots after shooting only 46 percent in the first.
TAMIU trailed for the majority of the game, until the Dustdevils ripped off a 25-5 run with 6:11 remaining to take an 11 point lead (68-57). The Lions never got closer than six points the rest of the way and late free throws helped the Dustdevils secure the 84-76 win.
Seniors Evan Matteson and Scottie Payne were the difference makers on offense for the Dustdevils. Matteson was once again the high point man for TAMIU finishing with 23 points, his eighth consecutive game in double digits, while Payne was clutch down the stretch for TAMIU knocking down 8-9 free throws in the second half en route to a season high 18 points. Senior Ryan McLucas also added 11 points and five assists.
James Silvie and Ian Salter also made big contributions, with Silvie adding 15 points and Salter bringing some much needed energy off the bench. "Ian came in and did a great job with the minutes he had," said Coach Rinner. "He was physical, active and played with great energy. Those are things he has to do ... when he does that he is a great basketball player and James hitting those threes in transition in the second half changed the momentum of the game."
TAMIU (14-4, 4-1 HC) won its second in a row and improved to 8-1 at home. The Dustdevils will return to action at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 26, when they travel to San Antonio to battle St. Mary's University (11-5, 5-1 HC).
