Box Score
ODESSA, Texas – Texas A&M International had to wait 12 days – including a seven-day span without any team activities – to collect its 10th victory in a row.
The wait was worth it, as the Dustdevils improved to 10-3 and a perfect 3-0 in Heartland Conference play after a 77-72 victory over the University of Texas of the Permian Basin on Thursday.
With the victory, TAMIU stands atop the conference in a tie with undefeated St. Edward's – who stands 2-0. Provisional member McMurry is also 2-0, but is ineligible for postseason play due to its provisional status.
The Dustdevils have won 10 consecutive games after opening the season 0-3 while facing some of the nation's toughest competition – including the Nos. 2 and 5 ranked teams.
On Thursday, sharp-shooting standout Deonnte Breedlove recorded 18 points off of 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) shooting from the field, including 3-for-5 (60 percent) from behind the arc. Breedlove's 18 points stand as his second-highest single-game point total, falling just two short of his 20 points against Southwestern Adventist on Dec. 7. He supplemented his scoring with two assists, two steals and an assist.
Big men Damal Donaldson (14 points, 3 rebounds) and former Heartland Player of the Week Vadal Faniel (11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist) joined Breedlove in double-digit scoring. The pair of posts went a combined 10-for-15 from the field. Faniel also played the second-most minutes (31) for the Dustdevils, behind only Jordan Clark.
Clark scored six points, just behind guards Kevin Jefferson Jr. and Matthew Culliver Jr. – who both scored eight points. Jefferson pulled in nine rebounds and dished three dimes, while Culliver grabbed two boards and converted a steal and two assists.
To round out the Dustdevils scoring, Johnel Gray, Matt Pritchett and Jamie Farrie each contributed four points.
The Dustdevils will face Lubbock Christian on Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. before returning to the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building on Jan. 9 to host McMurry at 7:30 p.m.
