Feb. 21, 2009

Final Stats

Texas A&M International University slipped past St. Edward's 84-81 in Heartland Conference action on Saturday afternoon at the TAMIU Kinesiology & Convocation Building. The win is the first ever for the Dustdevils over the Hilltoppers, who entered the game with a 5-0 lead in the all-time series.

The game was back-and-forth throughout the game with 10 lead changes and 12 ties. TAMIU (8-16, 6-7 Heartland) took a 76-70 lead on a jumper by Matthews Smith at the 3:48 mark of the second half but SEU (15-10, 9-5) fought back to tie the score 78-78 at the 2:17 mark.

The Hilltoppers cut the lead to 82-81 on a jumper by Reggie Shanks with 45 seconds remaining in regulation. Derek Barnes pushed the lead to 84-81 with 10 seconds remaining and TAMIU picked up the win after SEU missed two 3-point attempts in the game's final seconds.

Barnes led the Dustdevils with 22 points. Jerante Morgan finished with 20 points and a team-high seven rebounds and Ignacio García added 14 points.

TAMIU will play its home finale on Monday evening against St. Mary's. Tip-off against the Rattlers is scheduled for 8 p.m.