Laredo, Texas – Texas A&M International men's basketball fell to Angelo State 69-63 on Saturday at home. 

TAMIU (5-3, 1-1 LSC) started out hot, going on an 8-0 run in the first four minutes to start the game caped by a three-point play from Noel Scott. 

The Rams (5-1, 2-0 LSC) started to find their grove and led with 11 minutes left in the first half before a 3 from Shannon Strickland gave the Dustdevils a 14-13 lead moments later. 

The teams continued to battle back and forth, trading baskets. A layup from Esteban Roacho gave TAMIU a 23-22 lead with just five minutes left in the first half. 

Neither team led by more than three the rest of the half and Damian Watson made a layup with 25 seconds left in the first to give TAMIU a 33-31 lead headed into the break. 

The Rams started to find their offense in the second half and went on a 9-2 run to start the second period to take a 40-35 lead with 14:32 remaining. 

The teams reverted to trading baskets and Matthew Okoye hit a 3 with 9:49 left in the game to close the gap to 49-45. 

The Dustdevils started to find their grove and went on a 12-6 run over the next few minutes as a three-point play from Jalen Barnes cut the deficit to 57-55 with just over five minutes left in the contest. 

But the Rams closed the game from the free-throw line and ended the game on a 12-8 run to win 69-63. 

Strickland led the Dustdevils with 15 points, shooting 5-10 from the field and 3-8 from behind the arc. Okoye added 10 points and eight assists. 

Olaverr Camacho and Mike Rivera both grabbed a team-high four rebounds and Alexandre swiped three steals. 

TAMIU will be in action next at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 10 at Lubbock Christian.