LAREDO, Texas. - The Newman men's basketball team will face its first countable Heartland Conference opponent Thursday, traveling to Laredo, Texas, to take on the Texas A&M International Dustdevils. Tip-time inside the TAMIU Kinesiology Building is slated for 8 p.m., or approximately 20 minutes following the conclusion of the Newman-TAMIU women's basketball game.
About the Jets...
Newman is 7-6 after the first 13 games of the season, and have taken on some of the toughest compeition the South Central region has to offer, including the likes of Lone Star Conference foes Southwestern Oklahoma State (W, 91-78), West Texas A&M (L, 83-68), Angelo State (W, 77-69), No. 11 Tarleton State (L, 83-54), and No. 21 Midwestern State (L, 89-69) and MIAA rivals Pittsburg State (L, 95-68) and Fort Hays State (L, 84-71). The Jets have dropped two-straight games after an 84-61 loss to Arkansas-Fort Smith Saturday evening in Fort Smith, Ark.
The Jets are led by
Keaton Schultz, a senior guard from Neodesha, Kan., who is averaging 14.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Will Burdette, a senior transfer forward from the Northeastern Mississippi Junior College, scores 13.2 points and grabs a team-high 5.2 rebounds per game, while
Eric Saunders, who has stepped into the point guard position after the injury to
Bobby Wesley in the opening game of the season, can be counted on for 8.4 points and 4.5 assists per game.
As a team, the Jets average 76.2 points per game, and have shot a .406 collective field goal percentage
Scouting Texas A&M International...
The Dustdevils bring a 9-5 record into Saturday's contest, and have won nine of their last 10 games after an 81-55 win over St. Edward's Saturday in Laredo. The Dustdevils knocked off Maui Invitational host and participant Chaminade on the Silverswords' home court in Hawaii on Dec. 17 to conclude a sweep of three Hawaii schools.
Luis Gomez has emerged as Texas A&M International's leading scorer this season. The 6-3 senior guard is averaging 10.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this season, and is the only Dustdevile averaging double figure scoring this season. Will Faiivae is TAMIU's leading rebounder, grabbing 5.9 boards per game for the Dustdevils.
As a team, the Dustdevils shoot .482 from the floor, and .371 from three-point range.
Last Time These Two Met...
Three Jets posted double figures, but that wasn't enough to counter a 34-point performance from TAMIU's St. Paul Latham as the Dustdevils overcame a 47-38 halftime deficit to knock off the Jets 84-82 in front of 435 fans inside the TAMIU Kinesiology Building.
Jaray Mathews led the Jets with 15 points, while
Chip Steven and
Jarvis Jackson each added 11 points in the loss. Newman shot .441 (26-59) in the game, but allowed TAMIU to shoot at a .647 (33-51) clip. The Dustdevils out-rebounded Newman 35-22.
The Series....
This will be the the seventh meeting between the Jets and the Dustdevils. Each team has defended its home court well. TAMIU is 3-0 against the Jets in games played in Laredo, while Newman is 3-0 against the Dustdevils in Wichita. Newman has never lost by more than nine points in Laredo, while Newman's average margin of victory against TAMIU at home is 15 points.
The NU-TAMIU series is also home to one of the most memorable contests in Newman basketball history, as Newman defeated TAMIU 114-103 in four overtimes on Feb. 16, 2008 in Wichita.
