LAREDO, Texas (December 3, 2016) - The Texas A&M International University Men's Basketball team hosted Huston-Tillotson on Saturday at the TAMIU KCB. TAMIU improved to 6-4 on the 2016-17 season with a 73-56 win.

After a tight 17 minutes, TAMIU opened a six point lead late in the first half. After a one-point Ram lead, TAMIU used a 6-0 run to go up 33-27. The Rams would drain a three with 1:34 left before Jordan VanDeKop answered with a Dustdevil three with :03 left in the first half. VanDeKop led TAMIU offensively, putting up 10 points in the first half. Bunja Yaboe picked up three first-half blocks. Arthur Santanna recorded six points  and five rebounds. 

The Dustdevils controlled play in the second half, pushing a six point lead to 17 before the final buzzer sounded. TAMIU would push the lead to 18 twice in the final 20 minutes, the largest lead of the game. Denzel Bellot and Yaboe combined for 21 of the 37 Dustdevil points in the second half. Yaboe added three blocks in the second half, for a game-high six. 

Yaboe finished the game with 18 points, six rebounds, and six blocks. VanDeKop finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Bellot added 15 points in the win. Four Dustdevils finished with double-digit points on the afternoon. 

Head Coach Bryan Weakley commented on the win, "We had some great moments today. I am glad we have two weeks of practice before our first conference game. We need to get better at some key areas."

The Dustdevils forced 17 turnovers, turning them into 24 points. The TAMIU bench contributed 33 points. The Dustdevils scored 40 of their 73 points in the paint. 

With the win, TAMIU moves to 5-4 all-time against Huston-Tillotson. 

The Dustdevils travel to San Antonio, Texas for their next game. TAMIU will take on Incarnate Word at 7pm CST. 

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.