LAREDO, Texas — Texas A&M International used a dominant second half and a balanced scoring night to secure a 65–58 victory over UT Tyler on Thursday at the TAMIU Convocation Center, opening Lone Star Conference play with an important home win.
After trailing 27–26 at halftime, the Dustdevils turned up their efficiency in the second half, shooting 54% from the field and outscoring the Patriots 39–31. TAMIU also made timely defensive plays, forcing 16 turnovers and converting them into 22 points.
Caylen Goff Brown led TAMIU with 16 points, knocking down two threes and going 6-for-7 at the free-throw line, including four makes in the final minute to seal the game. Peyton Gusters delivered a major interior presence with 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, recording a double-double while shooting 7-for-9 from the floor.
Jamyier Patton added 11 points, and Gaius Mervin M'Ella finished with seven points and four rebounds before fouling out. Off the bench, Luke Oxford and Spivey Word each contributed eight points, combining for three of TAMIU's seven made threes.
UT Tyler was led by Noah Suarjaya's 15 points and Xavier Williams' 14. The Patriots shot a solid 46%, but foul trouble and second-half turnovers stalled their offense down the stretch.
The Patriots trailed by as many as 15 early in the second half, but a 21–3 surge flipped momentum. Back-to-back threes from Suarjaya and Carpenter pulled UT Tyler within 51–45, and the Patriots continued to chip away until Goff Brown's late free throws put the game out of reach.
After the game, TAMIU Head Coach Mac McConnell shared his thoughts on the victory: "Obviously, I'm really excited for the guys because we've been really battling... we're missing our best player, our starting point guard, missing both point guards, Ty Holdman has been out the whole year, Knowledge Carter has been out the last three games, and Aaron Perez has also been out, we're banged up but we fight through it and these guys keep battling. I'm happy for the guys, much needed win and stopped the bleeding. Looking forward to facing DBU next, it's going to be an extremely hard battle."
With the win, TAMIU improves to 2–5 overall and 1–0 in LSC play. UT Tyler falls to 4–1 and 0–1 in conference action.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Peyton Gusters, Junior, comes to Laredo from Dallas, Texas. He is the son of Patrick and Sheridane and has two siblings. Peyton is pursuing his degree in Multidisciplinary Studies.
A look at Gusters' performance from tonight:
- Team-high 14 Rebounds
- Double double with 14 rebounds and 14 points
- Played 38 minutes
