SHAWNEE, Okla. — Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) men's basketball concluded its two-game appearance at the Bison Conference Challenge on Saturday evening, falling to Chadron State, 84-77, at the Noble Complex in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Despite shooting an impressive 52 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from beyond the arc, the Dustdevils (0-2) were unable to hold off a late second-half rally by the Eagles (1-2).
TAMIU was led offensively by Aaron Perez, who finished with a team-high 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including five three-pointers. Jalexs Ewing followed with 16 points, while Jayden Barnes added 11 points off the bench. Luke Oxford rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and a team-high five rebounds.
The Dustdevils came out strong in the opening half, establishing an early advantage behind efficient shooting and contributions throughout the lineup. Back-to-back three-pointers from Perez and Barnes extended TAMIU's lead to 19-9 midway through the period before a layup from Phalen Pounds pushed the advantage to 21-9 with 9:40 remaining.
Chadron State responded with a late push, cutting into the deficit, but a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Perez sent TAMIU into halftime with a 37-31 advantage. The Dustdevils shot 52.4 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes while holding the Eagles to 34.3 percent shooting.
TAMIU continued its offensive momentum into the second half, extending its lead to 52-41 following a layup from Pounds with 14:36 remaining. The Eagles gradually chipped away at the deficit, but timely baskets from Oxford, Thomas Tangle and Landon Winston helped the Dustdevils maintain control.
A three-pointer from Winston gave TAMIU a 68-58 advantage with 8:13 left to play. However, Chadron State responded with a 15-4 run to take a 73-72 lead with 3:34 remaining.
Perez answered with his fifth three-pointer of the contest to put the Dustdevils back in front, 75-73, before Ewing converted a pair of free throws to give TAMIU a 77-75 advantage with 2:16 remaining.
The Eagles tied the contest on their next possession before Caleb Hannah connected on a three-pointer with 1:11 remaining to give Chadron State an 80-77 lead. The Eagles sealed the victory at the free-throw line, scoring the final seven points of the contest.
The Dustdevils finished shooting 52 percent (26-of-50) from the field, 52.4 percent (11-of-21) from three-point range and 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from the free-throw line. TAMIU also recorded 17 assists, 30 points in the paint and 20 bench points.
Chadron State shot 41.5 percent from the field and held a 39-27 advantage on the glass. The Eagles capitalized on 23 offensive rebounds, recording 26 second-chance points, while forcing 20 TAMIU turnovers.
Ronyo Obou led Chadron State with a game-high 26 points, while Patric Prince added 17 points and eight rebounds.
The Dustdevils will look to build on their offensive performance as they continue their 2026-27 campaign.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT:
Aaron Perez led the Dustdevils offensively with a team-high 17 points, shooting an efficient 5-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Perez connected on a buzzer-beating three-pointer to close the first half and delivered another clutch three-pointer late in the second half to briefly reclaim the lead for TAMIU. His 83.3 percent shooting from deep highlighted a strong perimeter performance for the Dustdevils.
Born on February 3, 2006, Aaron comes to Laredo from New York City. He is the son of Carlos and Veronica and has one sister. He is pursuing his degree in Business Administration.
