Box Score LAREDO (February 21) – Johnel Gray went 5-6 from beyond the arc and scored a game-high 20 points to lead the TAMIU men’s basketball team over Oklahoma Christian University 69-62 Thursday night at the TAMIU KCB.
 
The Dustdevils finished 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) from three point range and 19-of-23 from the free throw line while committing a season low six turnovers.
 
With only two games remaining in the regular season and the Dustdevils’ record now sitting at 14-10, TAMIU is guaranteed to finish with a winning record for the third straight season.
 
TAMIU opened the game on a 5-0 run but the Eagles fought their way back to take the lead on an Eric Randall jumpe, before a Kendre Talley three pushed the lead out to 16-12.  OCU led by as many as six in the half but a 7-1 TAMIU run late in the period with buckets from Matthew Culliver Jr., Damal Donaldson, and Kemorris Gunn tied the game at 27.  After four straight points by the Eagles, TAMIU guard Danny Rosas knocked down a three with 1:01 remaining to trim the lead down to one.  Both teams missed their final attempts of the half and TAMIU went into the locker room trailing 31-30.
 
Gray turned it on in the second half scoring 14 points including three big three pointers in the first 8 minutes to give TAMIU a 49-41 lead.  OCU big man Will Reinke hit 1-of-2 free throws with just under five minutes remaining to cut the lead down to three, but TAMIU fired back with six straight points to take their biggest lead of the game at 61-52.  
 
A huge bucket by Jayvin Reynolds with 1:46 remaining kept TAMIU up nine, before Brandon Troutman’s three made it 63-57 with a minute and half to play.  The Dustdevils went 6-of-8 at three free throw line in the final minute of the game to seal the 69-62 win.
 
Donaldson went 5-of-6 at the free throw line and finished with 13 points, while Culliver added 12 points finishing a perfect 6-of-6 at the charity stripe.
 
Will Reinke had 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots and Kendre Talley had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for OCU, but the other six Eagles who saw action combined for only 25 points.
 
TAMIU remains in fourth place in the conference standings with a 7-5 league record, but a few upsets around the league Thursday night changed the outlook of the upcoming conference tournament with only a few games remaining in the regular season.
 
The Dustdevils still need only one more conference win to punch their ticket to the dance, but Dallas Baptists’ 65-62 upset over St. Mary’s University pulls TAMIU to within one game of the third place Rattlers.  In addition, DBU now is back in the thick of the race for the final playoff spot with a 5-6 conference record.  With only three games remaining versus TAMIU, UT-Permian Basin, and Oklahoma Panhandle State, the Patriots could pull even or even leapfrog the Dustdevils in a worst-case scenario.  At 3-7, St. Edward’s still has an outside chance of reaching the postseason if they can manage to win out over Permian Basin, Oklahoma Panhandle, Fort Smith, and Newman.  With their 93-80 loss to the Hilltoppers, UT-Permian Basin has been eliminated from playoff contention.
 
TAMIU will take the floor Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. hosting Dallas Baptist University with a chance to head to the conference tournament for the fourth straight season.