Box Score
GOODWELL, Okla. – For the first time in the 2013-14 season, Texas A&M International's leading scorer was not Malika Jackson or Samantha Chacon. It was the team's third senior, Tina Dang, who scoped a team-high 16 points in the Dustdevils' 83-53 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State (0-10, 0-4 Heartland Conference) on Saturday.
With the victory, TAMIU (7-1, 3-0 Heartland) climbs into a three-way tie for first place in the Heartland Conference. Interstate-35 rivals St. Edward's (7-1, 2-0) and St. Mary's (8-1, 3-0) also sit atop the standings; Lubbock Christian (8-1, 4-0) is also undefeated, but is ineligible for postseason play because of its provisional-member status in the league. Heartland coaches selected TAMIU to finish fifth and out of the conference tournament in the preseason poll.
Complimenting Dang's bang-bang shooting display – she fired 62.5 (5-for-8) percent from the field, including 66 (4-for-6) percent from the 3-point line – were sophomore Jessica Prieto (12 points) and junior Alexis Thomas (11 points). Prieto's point total stands as her season high since transferring back to her hometown Laredo from NCAA Division I Mercer in Georgia.
The Dustdevils' reserves were massive in the game, outscoring the Aggies' bench 38-0 in the wire-to-wire victory. Of the team's six top scorers, only Dang and Prieto started the game.
A Dustdevils trio of junior-college transfers – Mason Hawk (9 points), Jessica Woo (8) and Stella Ghazarian (8) – nearly broke into double digits, despite none starting the game. Re'Nikia Meshack hung seven points on the Aggies, finishing 2.5 points above her season average; while Jackson scored six points and pulled down seven boards. Chacon – the defending Heartland Player of the Week – finished with five points, two assists and three rebounds.
Bezait Anbesse converted her only shot of the game – a free throw – to round up the Dustdevils' scoring with a point. She also contributed three rebounds in eight minutes on the court.
TAMIU outscored OPSU 28-16 in the paint, but the most telling dynamic in the game was OPSU's turnovers. It lost possession 26 times, giving way to 40 of TAMIU's points.
The Dustdevils led by as many as 33 points – with just more than three minutes remaining – as they sealed a season-high 30-point victory. In the team's previous six wins, it outscored opponents by a combined 51 points – only 19 more than Saturday. It was also the team's fifth time this season scoring more than 80 points.
Before Saturday, TAMIU last scored 80 or more points in a Feb. 2012 loss to OPSU.
The Dustdevils face one more road game in this three-game stretch, carrying hopes of avenging their only loss – a two-overtime thriller against Texas A&M-Kingsville – on Dec. 14 at non-conference TAMUK. They will return to the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building on Dec. 19 to open a men's and women's doubleheader against Rogers State at 5:30 p.m. The men will tip off immediately following that game.
