COMMERCE, Texas. - Texas A&M men's basketball (3-10) closed out 2018 with a 83-65 loss to Texas A&M-Commerce (10-2) on Sunday.

Xabier Gomez led the Dustdevils with 19 points as well as two rebounds, four assists and two steals. Brent Finn posted 13 points with three rebounds and three assists. Both Damon Leach and Steven Coulanges contributed seven points. Leach added eight rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal, while Coulanges added six rebounds and a block.

TAMIU stumbled out of the gate falling behind 15-4 earlier in first half. However, they slowly found their footing and began to claw their way back into the game, going on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 15-12 with just under 11 minutes left in the half. A&M-Commerce counterpunch and held the Dustdevils at bay as long as they could. With two minutes remaining in the period, TAMIU took its first lead of the game at 31-30, but the Lions ran down the court on the ensuing possession and drained a three-pointer to take a 33-31 lead into the half.

In the second half, turnovers would be the biggest problem for the Dustdevils, as they would turn the ball over 12 times in the second half alone. A&M-Commerce capitalized on this, scoring 25 points off turnovers for the game. The Lions were able to hold a double-digit lead for the majority of the second period and eventually took the game with a 83-65 victory.

TAMIU will be back in action in 2019 as they return home on Thursday, Jan. 10 and open the Heartland Conference slate against Lubbock Christian at 7:30 p.m.