LAREDO, Texas – Texas A&M International women's basketball was close to pulling off the biggest upset in school history, but a late 9-2 run by West Texas A&M halted the Dustdevils chance at the upset, as TAMIU fell 74-67.
 
TAMIU (5-4, 1-3 LSC) battled it out with the Lady Buffs in the opening quarter, as the score stood at 17-16 in favor of the Dustdevils with 1:25 left.
 
Over the remaining 1:08 of the first quarter until the 7:09 mark of the second quarter, the Lady Buffs (9-1, 3-1 LSC) utilized a 17-0 run to open a 33-17 lead.
 
TAMIU fought its way back, outscoring West Texas A&M 23-12 the remainder of the quarter to take a 45-40 deficit into halftime.
 
The Dustdevils were on fire out of halftime, ultimately taking the lead. After a three pointer to open the frame by the Lady Buffs at 8:29 remaining, TAMIU outscored WT 16-3 the rest of the way to take a 56-51 lead into the fourth
 
The Dustdevils would hold the lead until the 4:34 mark, when the Lady Buffs tied the game at 62-62, then shortly after used a 9-0 run to open a seven-point lead and survive.
 
For the game, TAMIU shot 43.1% (23-for-51) from the floor, and 4-for-13 (30.8%) from deep. Also, the free-throw line was strong, making 19 of 26 attempts.
 
On the other side, West Texas A&M shot 46.2% (24-for-52) from the field. The Lady Buffs were saved from behind the arc where they shot 17-for-30 (56.7%) after entering the game shooting just 29% from distance.
 
Junior Emily Swiercz was the scoring leader on the day with 16 points with four steals defensively.
 
Fellow junior Rai Brown earned her second double-double in a row with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while another junior, Marija Bakic, scored 14 points with seven rebounds and three steals.
 
Sophomore Evelyn Quiroz would score 12 points with seven assists and junior Clara Fernandez chipped in 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals to put all five starters in double figures.
 
The Dustdevils return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 14, as the team travels to Puerto Rico and opens with University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico at 2 p.m. AST/1 p.m. CST.