TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | LIVE STATS | VIDEO | GAME NOTES

LAREDO, Texas (February 28, 2018) – Texas A&M International University men's basketball heads to Tulsa, Okla. in search of their first Heartland Conference Tournament win since 2014 when they take on No. 1 seed Dallas Baptist in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 1. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at the Union Multipurpose Activities Center (UMAC).
 
ABOUT TAMIU
The Dustdevils enter the Heartland Conference Tournament with an overall record of 11-17 after finishing conference play 4-12. They defeated St. Mary's  67-66 on the final day of the regular season on a Brendan Ortiz jumper in the final seconds to secure the eighth and final seed in this week's tournament. Head coach Bryan Weakley is 2-4 all-time in tournament play with both of those wins coming in 2014 during the Dustdevils run to their second tournament title in program history.
 
TAMIU relies heavily on its defensive efforts as they rank 12^th in the nation in scoring defense allowing 65.4 points per game. They force 15.4 turnovers on 6.6 steals per game resulting in more than 16 points off turnovers. They are scoring 63.2 points per game shooting 43.1% from the field, 348% from 3-point range and 69.0% from the free throw line.
 
Jeremy Wright (11.8 ppg, 5.1 apg, 2.1 spg) has been sensational for the Dustdevils this year having scored in double figures in 20 game. The senior has not only been scoring at a high level for the Dustdevils but he also ranks first in the conference in total assists and steals. His 143 assists are the second-most in program history, 13 short of tying Angel Encina's 156 from 2005-06. It the two meetings against the Patriots, Wright has scored 18 points going 6-of-14 from the field. Xabier Gomez (11.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg) is the top on-ball defender for the Dustdevils as he has been assigned to stop the opposing teams top shooter throughout the season. The Barcelona, Spain product can also bring it on the offensive side of the court shooting a team-high 45.3% from 3-point range.
 
Dan Milota (10.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg) looks to be returning to full strength after missing time due to a knee injury. He scored 16 points in Saturday's win over StMU with his best shooting performance since then end of December as the senior has made at least one 3-pointer in the past four games. Kamari Robinson (10.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg) has recorded a team-high two double-doubles this season while being the only Dustdevil to pull down over 100 rebounds.
 
ABOUT DALLAS BAPTIST
Located in Dallas, Texas, with an enrollment of 5,067 students, Dallas Baptist earned Heartland Conference Regular Season Co-Champion status for the second straight year after finishing 23-5 overall and 12-4 in conference play. Dr. Blake Flickner is in his 13^th season at DBU where he has won over 200 games and been named the Heartland Conference Coach of the Year and NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year.
 
The Patriots are ranked 22^nd in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Rankings and 25^th in the D2SIDA Men's Basketball Poll. They finished the season with five straight win after dropping their first two games of February.
 
Chandler Jacobs (14.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is the leading scorer for a Patriots squad that averages 82.9 points per game. The freshman does his damage off the bench having started in only eight of 28 games this season. He enters the conference tournament with seven straight games scoring in double-digits including 21 against St. Edward's. Boy Van Vliet (14.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 4.7 rpg) does it all for DBU as the senior guard ranks in the top three in scoring, assists and rebounding. He is shooting 48.1% from the field, 30.4% from three and 79.3% from the free throw line.
 
Patrick Burke (12.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) is the top post player for a DBU team that outrebounds its opponents by 3.8 rebounds per game. The senior is tough to stop once he gets position in the paint shooting a team-high 67.9% from the field. His contributions on the offensive side of the court have been up-and-down but has scored 15 or more points in three of his last five games including a 30-point performance against Randall University. JT Harris (10.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg) is another shooter to look out for as the redshirt junior is two weeks removed from his best performances of the season going a combined 10-of-15 from three for a total of 44 points en route to earning conference player of the week honors.
 
THE LAST TIME AROUND
A cold shooting second half doomed the Dustdevils in their 62-41 loss to Dallas Baptist in Dalls on Jan. 24. They trailed by two, 23-21, at halftime but shot 28% in the final 20 minutes as the Patriots handed TAMIU its eighth conference loss of the season.
 
Jeremy Wright scored a team-high 13 points making 3-of-4 from 3-point range while chipping in five assists and five rebounds. Kamari Robinson was the only other Dustdevil in double figures as the senior went 3-of-9 for 10 points.
 
THE SERIES
The Patriots lead the all-time series 13-11 after winning both games earlier in the season… Thursday's meeting will be their first on a neutral court… DBU has won five of the last six games including four straight… The Dustdevils last defeated the Patriots 86-82 in overtime in Laredo on Feb. 20, 2016… TAMIU won the first ever meeting between programs 88-64 on Jan. 1, 2007.
 
A TAMIU WIN WOULD…
Give Bryan Weakley his first win in the Heartland Conference Tournament since winning the championship during the 2013-14 season… Set up a matchup against the winner of Lubbock Christian/Rogers State on Saturday… Make them 3-0 in games played on neutral courts this season… Give Weakley 99 career wins.
 
A TAMIU LOSS WOULD…
End their season with a record of 11-18 overall and 4-11 in conference play… Mark the third straight season they have lost in the Heartland Conference Quarterfinals… Drop them to 2-1 in games played on a neutral court.
 
THIS DAY IN DUSTDEVIL MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY…
The Dustdevils are 2-1 on games played on March 1… They dropped a double-overtime thriller 74-64 to St. Mary's where Jordan Clark scored a game-high 16 points going 8-of-14 from the free throw line… TAMIU defeated UT Permian Basin 97-90 in overtime in Laredo in 2008… The Dustdevils finished their inaugural season in 2003-04 with a win over Huston-Tillotson 90-76.
 
A LOOK BACK AT ST. MARY'S
The Dustdevils trailed by as much as 11 points in the second half in their 67-66 comeback victory over St. Mary's on Saturday at Bille Greehey Arena to clinch the eighth seed in the Heartland Conference Tournament. Brendan Ortiz scored the game-winner on a contested shot with three seconds left to lift the Dustdevils over the Rattlers in a winner-take-all matchup.
 
Dan Milota had his best game since returning from injury with 16 points going 6-of-10 form the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Kamari Robinson fell one rebound short of his third career double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. Jeremy Wright's 13 points marked his 10^th straight game in double figures while Ortiz scored all of his 12 points in the second half.
 
UP NEXT
Thursday winner will face the winner of the Lubbock Christian/Rogers State matchup on Saturday at 12 p.m. The Championship game is scheduled for Sunday, Mar. 4, at 12 p.m.