LAREDO, Texas (December 14, 2016) - The Texas A&M International University Men's and Women's Basketball teams open Heartland Conference action this Saturday, December 17. The Dustdevils will host The University of Arkansas Fort-Smith in the TAMIU KCB at 1 and 3pm CST. 

The Dustdevils will host Rogers State on Monday, December 19. Tip-off for the Rogers State games is set for 5:30 and 7:30pm CST in the TAMIU KCB,

Men's Basketball 
The Dustdevil Men's Basketball team heads into conference play after posting a 6-4 record through the first 10 games of 2016-17. TAMIU defeated Huston-Tillotson 73-56 in their most recent game. 

TAMIU took on Division I Incarnate Word on December 10 in an exhibition matchup. The Dustdevils were dealt a 68-83 loss to the Cardinals. 

The Dustdevils finished 1-3 at the Division II CCA Division II Tip-off Classic, defeating St. Cloud 64-61 in the final game. TAMIU followed that with two RMAC Conference Challenge games, defeating Black Hills State (72-42) and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (78-66). Two losses to Texas A&M Kingsville account for the only other losses on the record for TAMIU. The Dustdevils hosted a successful La Posada Classic, defeating Southwestern Adventist (98-66) and Paul Quinn College (106-84). 

Denzel Bellot currently leads the Dustdevils in scoring with 12.5 points per game. Bunja Yaboe and Jordan VanDeKop lead TAMIU on the boards with 56 each. Yaboe has picked up 24 blocks for an average of 2.4 blocks per game. 

The Dustdevils head into conference action with the best scoring defense, allowing just 64.3 points per game.

Head Coach Bryan Weakley commented, With nine seniors heading into Heartland Conference play, there is no reason why we shouldn't play every game like it's our last.  Conference play always separates the men from the boys.  Since Christmas break is upon us, it will be a great opportunity for our team to spend a lot of time together preparing for our contests."

Women's Basketball
The TAMIU Women's Basketball team heads into Saturday's action under the new direction of Head Coach Jeff Caha. The Dustdevils currently sit at 0-9. 

Caha Commented, "The season so far has been a learning experience. Most of the time when you get to the point of playing games, you have recruited the kids, built a relationship with them, and know what works and what doesn't. This year started for me and this team in August when I came in and to this point has been a new experience for me. It takes time to build relationships and trust, and I have really tried to accelerate that process in order to help these girls out. These young ladies have worked hard and I do believe we are improving, but in terms of wins and losses it has yet to pay off. Hopefully we continue to learn, improve and we see some wins accumulate because of it."

Hannah Beede currently leads the Dustdevils in scoring, rebounding, and blocks per game. Beede has averaged 14.6 points per game, sinking 25 three-point shots so far. Beede averages 6.9 rebounds per game and has picked up six blocks. Joanna Perez adds a scoring average of 11 points per game. 

Caha commented, "We have had very solid play from Hannah, Rose and Joanna so far this season, but to win games this weekend (vs UAFS and RSU) and through conference play we need everyone to really compete and contribute in ways that maybe people outside of us don't appreciate. Jessica and Nayiri had their best games of the year vs UCO, but we don't consistently have that effort out of them. Unique had her best game this past weekend vs TAMUK, but can she keep improving and contribute more? Victoria has been up and down all year and we need her to steadily help run this team and constantly improve. If we can have everyone click on one night, maybe we will see something great!"

The Dustdevils can be followed all season long on GoDustdevils.com, and on social media. Follow @TAMIUAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat for exclusive content.