STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Texas A&M International men's basketball (2-11, 0-7 LSC) came up short against Tarleton (7-7, 2-5 LSC) in a 83-71 decision, after outscoring the Texans 40-34 in the second half, on Saturday.

Junior Matija Novkovic led the Dustdevils with 19 points as well as four rebounds and an assist. Junior Jacob Pfaffinger logged a season-high 16 points, two rebounds and two assists. Senior Caleb Highley posted 15 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Senior Dominic Jackson contributed 10 points, five rebounds and an assist.

Tarleton got off to a fast start as they opened on a regular 7-2 start. TAMIU responded quickly as Jackson drained a three-pointer to pull within two points at 7-5. Things remained close for several minutes as as both teams battled and stayed within one possession. The Texans began to break away with a 12-0 run that pushed their lead out to 34-16. They took their largest lead of the half at 42-22 with just over five minutes left in the period, and eventually took a 49-31 lead into the intermission.

Tarleton carried their momentum out of the break as they raced out to their largest lead of the game at 64-37 with 14 minutes left. From there, the Dustdevils began to slowly trim the deficit. With 5:24 remaining, a Jorge Mejias-Sanchez three-pointer started a 16-3 run to cut the lead to 79-69. Unfortunately, the comeback would fall just short as the Texans took the 83-71 victory.

TAMIU will return home on Thursday, Jan. 9 for a Lone Star Conference matchup against Texas A&M-Commerce.