LAREDO, Texas - Texas A&M International men's basketball (5-13, 2-5 HC) dropped a 88-80 decision to Rogers State (15-6, 4-3 HC) on Saturday.

Brent Finn led the Dustdevils with 26 points as well as three assists, two rebounds and two steals. Xabier Gomez posted 20 points with three assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block. Steven Coulanges added 10 points with six rebounds and three assists. Damon Leach contributed 13 rebounds.

The game began quite close, as neither team was able to grab more than a two possession lead. However, the Hillcats would pull away with a 11-2 run to take a 29-17 lead with 7:27 left in the half. They would push out to their largest lead of the half at 42-22. RSU would go on to take a 51-33 advantage into the break.

The Hillcats looked like they would continue to roll in the second half for much of the early part of the period, as they pushed back out to a 20-point lead at 59-39. However, the Dustdevils slowly began to chip away at the lead and claw their way back into the game, trimming the deficit to 65-54 with just over ten minutes left. TAMIU continued to grind and cut the lead to 73-66 with 4:48 left. They would hold RSU to a single digit lead for most of the remainder of the game. Unfortunately, the Dustdevils could not complete the comeback as the Hillcats hung on for a 88-80 win.

TAMIU will close out the three-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 30 as they play host to Dallas Baptist at 7 p.m.