LAREDO, Texas (December 17, 2016) - The Texas A&M International University Men's Basketball team opened Heartland Conference action on Saturday. The Dustdevils hosted Arkansas Fort Smith, picking up an 82-75 win. TAMIU moves to 7-4 overall (1-0 HC).

Denzel Bellot continued his hot start to the 2016-17 season, putting up 23 points in the Heartland Conference win. Bellot leads TAMIU thus far with 148 points.

A late first half run allowed the Dustdevils to take a six-point advantage into halftime. The Lions and Dustdevils would trade leads seven times in the first 20 minutes of action. Bunja Yaboe led all scorers in the first half, putting up 11 points, adding three rebounds, one block, and two steals. 

TAMIU held off a late UAFS push to win the first game in Heartland Conference play. After pushing the lead to 17 midway through the second-half, TAMIU used the clock and strong defense to hold the Lions at bay. UAFS would come within four points with under 30 seconds remaining before TAMIU went 6-6 from the free-throw stripe, putting the game away.

In addition to Bellot's 23, three other Dustdevils finsihed in double-digits on Saturday. Yaboe finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of steals and blocks. Arthur Santanna ended the evening with 13 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Kamari Robinson finished the day with 10 points and three rebounds. 

Head Coach Bryan Weakley commented on the win, "Everyone contributed today. We really executed our game plan and all the things we worked ion in practice the last two weeks. We can't celebrate too much though because we have a great Rogers State team coming in on Monday night."

The Dustdevils host Rogers State in another Heartland Conference matchup on Monday, December 19. Tip-off is set for 7:30pm in the TAMIU KCB. 

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.