LAREDO, Texas – Texas A&M International men's basketball used a late surge to open a double-digit lead and defeated Lubbock Christian for the first time in its last five tries, 75-64 for the first conference win of the season.
 
The first half was a back and forth slugfest, as the largest lead favored TAMIU (6-3, 1-2 LSC) which was five points, and come halftime the score stood at 32-29 in favor of the Dustdevils.
 
Out of halftime, TAMIU would grow its lead to 37-29 out of halftime, but the Chaps (4-3, 2-1 LSC) would use a 9-0 run to take the lead with 14:32 remaining.
 
From that point, neither team would hold a lead greater than three points, until the Dustdevils capitalized on a pair of free-throws to take a five point, 55-50 lead with 5:43 remaining.
 
TAMIU would use a 7-0 run not long after to make the lead 64-54 and would hit its free throws down the stretch to seal the victory and end a three-game skid.
 
For the game, TAMIU shot just a stellar 56.8% from the field (25-for-44), 8-for-18 from deep (44.4%) and were strong from the free-throw line, making 17-of-22 attempts (77.3%).
 
On the other side, the Chaps finished 24-for-53 (45.3%) from the floor, and 4-for-17 (23.5%) from three, while finishing 12-for-15 from the charity stripe.
 
The Dustdevils were led offensively by sophomore Tiras Morton who was a perfect 5-for-5 on the night with 16 points, three rebounds, a block and a steal.
 
Senior Jermaine Drewey chipped in 12 points and three rebounds, while junior Juwan White had a stat line of 10 points, five assists and four steals.
 
Two key stats were pivotal in the victory as TAMIU outscored Lubbock Christian 20-0 in fast break points and 27-10 in bench points.
 
The Dustdevils now prepare for nationally ranked, #22/#24 West Texas A&M, who enters Laredo for a 3 p.m. tip on Saturday, Dec. 10.