LAREDO, Texas – Texas A&M International men's basketball moved to 3-0 on the season, defeating Western Colorado 74-60 on Friday night.
 
Over the first five minutes of game action, TAMIU (3-0, 0-0 LSC) was the early aggressor, holding a 14-4 lead, before the Mountaineers (0-1, 0-0 RMAC) tied the game just shortly past the midway point.
 
The Dustdevils never trailed and entered the locker room with a 32-26 lead.
 
Over the first 20 minutes, TAMIU shot 42.3% on 11-for-26 shooting, while holding Western Colorado to just 8-for-23 shooting (34.8%).
 
Out of the locker room, the Dustdevils would continue to add to their lead, opening up a 14-point, 44-30 lead with 15:46 remaining in the second half.
 
The Mountaineers would trim the deficit to five points, but TAMIU would go on to not allow the lead after that moment go below eight points again, leading the entire game to seal the victory.
 
For the game, the Dustdevils shot just under 46.6%, going 27-for-58 from the floor and made three of their 10 shots from behind the arc. Free-throws dropped at a 73.9% clip, going 17-for-23.
 
On the other side, Western Colorado finished 20-for-47 (42.6%) from the floor, and 6-for-18 (33.3%) from three.
 
TAMIU had its third different leading scorer in as many games, as sophomore Matthew Okoye led with 13 points, adding three rebounds and three steals.
 
Graduate student Greg Bowie scored 12 points, as well as junior John Achebe. Junior Mike Rivera also scored in double figures, with 10 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two assists.
 
The key stat was the turnover battle, as the Dustdevils force 21, while only turning the ball over 10 times, leading to a 39-7 points off turnover differential in favor of TAMIU.
 
The Dustdevils wrap up the weekend, welcoming nationally ranked Colorado Mesa to the KCB for a White Out. Opening tip against the #15 Mavericks is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.