Box Score
KINGSVILLE, Texas – Texas A&M International made a profound statement in its first road win of the season, pounding Cameron, 90-71, on Friday with four of five starters scoring at least 14 points. The Dustdevils improve to 3-3 (0-0 Heartland Conference) with the victory, as Cameron falls to 2-2 (0-0 Lone Star Conference).
The Dustdevil starters – Johnel Grey (20 points), Matthew Culliver Jr. (16), Damal Donaldson (14), Vadel Faniel (14) and Jordan Clark (8) – combined to score 72 of the team's points, accounting for 80 percent of its total. Only three others found themselves on the score sheet, with Matt Jefferson (8), Deonnte Breedlove (6) and Curtis Trotter (4) coming off the bench to contribute.
The Dustdevils featured hot hands as a team, shooting higher than 60 percent from all over the court. It's percentage from the field (60.8), behind the 3-point arc (63.2) and the free throw line (72.7) all stand as season highs. The team reached the 90-point mark for just the second time this season – with the first coming in the 95-57 victory in last weekend's La Posada Classic finale against Hillsdale Free Will Baptist.
Culliver, the Dustdevils captain, scored all 16 of his points in the first half, but he contributed seven assists and two steals throughout the game. Faniel led TAMIU off the boards, pulling in nine while Jefferson (7) and Donaldson (6) contributed as well.
The Dustdevils launched out of reach midway through the first half, entering the intermission on a 30-13 run that the Aggies couldn't survive. With nearly 10 minutes remaining in the game, TAMIU led by its largest margin: 24 points.
The Dustdevils pulled off the wire-to-wire victory without ever trailing, securing the victory in the first game of the Emerald Beach Hotel Classic hosted by the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javalinas. TAMIU closes play in Kingsville on Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. against the host Javalinas, who face the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in Friday's late game.
