Gunnison, Co.- Texas A&M International Men's Basketball lose to Western Colorado University after battling a slow first half to today's game with a final score of 78-84.
As the first half of the game started, it was looking good for the Dustdevils as they shot aggressively to get a head start over the Mountaineers, but their overall made field goals were 14-33 total attempts. The Mountaineers pulled away from the Dustdevils after the first 5 minutes with a lead of 11-points before the Dustdevils could score again in the 13:23 marker making the new score of 12-19. Despite the slow start to the first half, Aidan Williams lead the team with 10 points, followed by Omarion Shackelford and Caylen Goff Brown both with 7 points each contributing to the total score of 36-47 by the end of the first half.

During the second half, the Dustdevils had a tough order to close the gap, and it started to look bleak for them, but several factors came into play that put pressure on the Mountaineers' game plan. The Dustdevils took advantage of 13 turnovers, 7 fast-break points, and an increase in 3-pointer percentage of 35.7 percent. In the last six minutes of the game, the Dustdevils closed the gap 11 to 6 points and forced Western Colorado to a timeout. Coming back, the Mountaineers fought back for these lost points and gained another 10 point lead with their shooting percentage of within the paint of 53%.
In the last 43 seconds, with the score 78-82, the Dustdevils had an opportunity to close the gap in hopes of either tying it up or taking home the win but being forced to foul Western Colorado to gain possession was too hard to overcome with their free throw percentage of 71.4% success rate. In the end, the Dustdevils brought the heat too late into the game to overcome Western Colorado University with a final score of 78-84.

The Dustdevils return to the court at home in Laredo, Texas this coming Thursday, December 4^th at 7:30pm C.T. in the KCB building.
 
 
Players Spotlight:
Caylen Goff Brown, Senior, comes to Laredo from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the son of BJ and Tejajuana and has four siblings. Caylen is pursuing his degree in Psychology.
A look at Goff Brown's performance from tonight:

• Team-high 19 points
• Rebounds 5
• Played 32 minutes

Aiden Williams, Freshman, comes to Laredo from Mont Belvieu, Texas. He is the son of Michael and Christy and has one older brother. Aiden is pursuing a degree in Finance.
A look at Williams' performance from tonight:

• Team-high 14 points
• 9 Rebounds
• Played 34 minutes