Jan. 27, 2012
Final Stats
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Scottie Payne scored a career high 26 points Thursday night, leading the Texas A&M International University Men's Basketball Team over St. Mary's University 71-63. The senior guard was electrifying, particularly in the second half where he scored 19 of his 26 points. Payne finished the night 6-8 from the field, 2-2 from three-point range and an astonishing 12-12 from the free throw line.
"Scottie was terrific all night!" said Head Coach Shane Rinner. He made clutch shot after clutch shot and made huge free throws late in the game."
The Dustdevils defense was phenomenal once again, holding the Rattlers to just 36 percent shooting from the field and 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Dustdevils are currently the top defensive team in the Heartland Conference, allowing just 62.4 points per game.
"This game was won with heart!" said Coach Rinner "We were very good defensively ... we held every player below their average and we beat them on the boards as well. This is a tough place to win -- we were only the second team to beat these guys on their home court and I'm proud of the toughness we showed tonight. Now all of our attention turns to Dallas Baptist. This conference is very tough and we have to be ready every night."
TAMIU trailed for the majority of the first half, but finished with a 7-0 run in the last two minutes, capped by a Payne three, to take a one point lead into halftime (26-25).
The Rattlers came on strong in the second half, using a 6-0 run to take a seven point lead (34-41) with 12:38 remaining. The Dustdevils responded with a 9-2 run, tying the game at 43 at the 10:28 mark. The two teams were back and forth for the next few minutes until TAMIU finally took control with 3:05 left to play. With the game tied at 56, Payne was fouled on a three point attempt and hit all three free throws, kick-starting a 15-7 run to end the game with a 71-63 win.
Evan Matteson and Ryan McLucas were the remaining Dustdevils scoring in double-figures, adding 11 and 10 points respectively. Sophomore Joe Reid kicked in nine points on 3-5 shooting, including a jaw dropping dunk in the middle of the Dustdevils game clinching run. TAMIU shot 46 percent from the field and 33 percent from three point range. The Dustdevils outrebounded the Rattlers 38-32, led by senior James Silvie who grabbed nine boards.
The Dustdevils improve to 5-1 in conference play (15-4 overall) and move into sole possession of second place in the conference standings. The team will return to the court Monday, January 30, to host Dallas Baptist at 7:00 p.m. at the TAMIU KCB.
