TAMIU Sports Notes - Dec. 16, 2005
Men's Notes
The Week Ahead
Texas A&M International University will conclude its four games in eight days homestand this week with home contests against Texas Wesleyan on Wednesday and UT-Permian Basin on Saturday. Saturday's game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip.
Saturday's men's and women's doubleheader against UTPB has been designated as a benefit for the Salvation Army of Laredo.
All gate receipts from Saturday's doubleheader will be donated to the Salvation Army, along with donations for tacos which are being donated by Mariachi Express restaurants.
There will be a Wendy's T-shirt toss with every three-pointer made by the Dustdevils on Saturday. Additionally, two fans with be selected to participate in a shooting contest at halftime of the men's game.
The Program & Head Coach
The Texas A&M International University men's basketball team is competing as a second year program as members of the NAIA and Red River Athletic Conference. Tarvish Felton (Southern Utah, 1999) was hired as TAMIU's first coach in September, 2002. He guided the Dustdevils to a 10-22 record in the program's inaugural campaign. Highlights of the 2003-04 season include a three-game winning streak to close the season and a late-season win over NCAA Division II stalwart Incarnate Word. Felton has a career and school record of 12-29.
| Probable Starters | |||||||
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl/Exp. | PPG | RPG |
| 00 | Bo Aluka | G | 6-3 | 175 | Jr./TR | 4.9 | 3.1 |
| 21 | Hector Garza | G | 6-4 | 190 | So./1L | 10.7 | 4.4 |
| 23 | Keith Simpson | F | 6-6 | 220 | Sr./1L | 13.9 | 5.2 |
| 42 | Kyle Edwards | C | 6-10 | 220 | Sr./TR | 8.9 | 6.8 |
| 44 | Andre Watson | F | 6-6 | 230 | Jr./TR | 11.6 | 5.0 |
| Key Reserves | |||||||
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Cl/Exp. | PPG | RPG |
| 10 | Michael Starks | G | 6-1 | 165 | Jr./HS | 0.9 | 1.3 |
| 30 | D.J. Firova | F | 6-4 | 175 | So./1L | 5.3 | 1.7 |
| 34 | Corey Craft | C | 6-7 | 235 | Fr./HS | 6.8 | 2.7 |
Noteworthy
Sophomore Hector Garza is starting to return to the form that earned him second-team All-Red River Athletic Conference honors last season. After averaging 6.4 points per game and reaching double-figures only once during the first five games of the season, Garza has scored in double-figures the last four games, averaging 16.0 points per game during that span. Overall, he ranks third on the squad with a 10.7 points per game scoring average ...
Senior Keith Simpson has been named Red River Athletic Conference Player of the Week for games played Dec. 5-11. He averaged 20.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in wins over Bacone College and Huston-Tillotson to earn conference honors for the second time in his two-year career ... Simpson's 17 point, 11 rebound outing in the win over Bacone was his first double-double of the season and the fifth in his 32-game career with the Dustdevils ... Junior Bo Aluka contributed season-high totals for assists (8) and points (12) in Saturday's win over Huston-Tillotson. The eight assists also stands as a team season-high mark.
Women's Notes
The Week Ahead
Texas A&M International University will play games three and four of its five-game homestand this week. The Dustdevils will host Texas Wesleyan on Wednesday and UT-Permian Basin on Saturday. Wednesday's game will tip-off at 1 p.m. and Saturday's game at 4 p.m. The homestand will conclude on Dec. 29 against Southwestern University.
Saturday's men's and women's doubleheader against UTPB has been designated as a benefit for the Salvation Army of Laredo. All gate receipts from Saturday's doubleheader will be donated to the Salvation Army, along with donations for tacos which are being donated by Mariachi Express restaurants.
There will be a Wendy's t-shirt toss with every three-pointer made by the Dustdevils on Saturday. Additionally, two fans with be selected to participate in a shooting contest at halftime of the men's game.
Shooting For The Century Mark
TAMIU reached the 100-point mark for the third time in the two year history of the program in Saturday's 100-79 win over Huston-Tillotson. The feat was accomplished twice last season, both times against the team visiting the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building on Saturday, UT-Permian Basin.
TAMIU defeated UTPB 105-77 last season in Laredo while also claiming a 102-88 win in Odessa.
The Program & Head Coach
The Texas A&M International University women's basketball team is competing as a second year program as members of the NAIA and Red River Athletic Conference. Head coach Marc García (Trinity, 1993) began the task of building a new program in September, 2002. He guided the Dustdevils to a 14-20 overall record in their inaugural season of competition, including a 13-5 mark over the final 18 games. TAMIU finished fifth in the RRAC regular season standings with a 12-10 record before advancing to the semifinal round of the conference postseason tournament. García has a career and school record of 17-24.
| Probable Starters | ||||||
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl/Exp. | PPG | RPG |
| 22 | Gloria Miller | G | 5-7 | Jr./1L | 4.6 | 1.6 |
| 30 | Jermina Tomlinson | G | 5-6 | So./1L | 13.4 | 5.9 |
| 11 | Becky Mata | F | 5-7 | Fr./HS | 6.3 | 4.9 |
| 20 | Vanessa Villarreal | F | 5-10 | So./1L | 18.7 | 6.1 |
| 24 | Lizzy Herrera | C | 6-1 | So./1L | 5.0 | 4.9 |
| Key Reserves | ||||||
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Cl/Exp. | PPG | RPG |
| 00 | Nicole Gipson | C | 6-2 | Fr./HS | 5.2 | 6.4 |
| 05 | Cathy García | F | 5-8 | So./1L | 4.4 | 0.9 |
| 13 | Valerie Villanueva | G | 5-4 | Fr./HS | 4.0 | 1.9 |
| 15 | Megan DeNure | G | 5-3 | Fr./HS | 1.6 | 1.0 |
| 25 | LeaAnn Killian | F | 5-10 | Jr./TR | 3.3 | 2.9 |
| 34 | Marili Santos | C | 6-0 | Jr./1L | 4.4 | 4.9 |
Noteworthy
Sophomore Jermina Tomlinson turned in a solid performance in Saturday's win over Huston-Tillotson, finishing with 18 points, seven assists and five steals. Tomlinson is averaging 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game over the last three games. Overall, she ranks second on the team with a 13.4 points per game scoring average.
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