KINGSVILLE, Texas (November 21, 2017) – Despite a career-night from Brendan Ortiz, Texas A&M International University men's basketball team fell 63-56 to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Tuesday night at the Gil E. Steinke Physical Education Center.
 
"Our boys fought hard tonight against a good team," TAMIU head coach Bryan Weakley said. "I think it was a step in the right direction. Hopefully we can build on it now."
 
Ortiz was one of four Dustdevils in double figures in the loss scoring a career-15 points on 6-of-9 shooting including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Dan Milota added 12 points and four rebounds while Jeremy Wright had 11 points. Kamari Robinson scored 10 points off the bench going 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. The Dustdevils (3-2) outshot the Javelinas (6-0) 46.7% to 45.1% with both teams struggling from beyond the arc shooting below 30%.
 
 A pair of Caelan West 3-pointers put the Dustdevils in an early 8-2 hole early in the first half. TAMIU soon found its rhythm taking the lead 12-10 on a 3-ball from Ortiz with just under 12 minutes to play.
 
The Javelinas responded with a 5-0 run to retake the lead but a layup from Xabier Gomez tied the game at 15-all. TAMUK would then go on a 9-2 run to take a 24-17 advantage with just under four minutes left to play in the half. A layup from Robinson brought the Dustdevils within five but a jumper by Cris Boleware with six seconds restored TAMU's seven-point deficit, 29-22, heading into halftime.
 
Wright and Gomez both scored in the first three minutes of the second half to cut the deficit to four, 30-26. The two teams traded buckets before an Ortiz jumper at 16:10 to make it 35-28. TAMUK would then go on a 12-5 run with five different players scoring to extend the lead to 14.
 
An Elton Dyer layup extended the Javelinas' lead to 15 with under six minutes to play but a pair of threes from Ortiz and Milota cut the deficit to nine heading into the final media timeout. The teams traded baskets over the next two minutes before a 3-ball from Wright with 45 seconds got the Dustdevils within six.
 
A Milota layup with 11 seconds made it a five-point game but Derrick Byrd made a pair of free throws in the final seconds as the Javelinas picked up a 63-56 win.
 
The Dustdevils will return home for their next game, facing TAMUK Friday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Heartland Conference Digital Network. Links to streaming feeds and live stats can be found on the TAMIU men's basketball schedule page.
 
PLAYER NOTES
Brendan Ortiz
Ortiz's 15 points tonight were four more than he had combined (11) in the first two games of his career. It also marked the first time the Madison, Wisconsin product led the team in scoring.
 
Jeremy Wright
Wright scored in double figures for the fifth straight game of the season with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. The Dustdevils are now 6-5 during his career when he scores more than 10 points in a game.