LAREDO, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University women’s basketball team (12-13, 10-6 RRAC) suffered a 93-83 loss at the hands of Texas A&M International University (18-9, 14-3) on Thursday.

The Lady Rams were slow out of the gate, shooting just 30% in the first half while TAMIU shot 51% from the field.  The Dustdevils jumped ahead 9-0 in the first three minutes and led 51-37 at the break.

TAMIU stretched its lead to 24 points at 71-47 midway through the second half.  The Lady Rams then went on a 16-1 run to close the gap to single digits at 72-61.  With four minutes to play the deficit remained nine points at 81-72, but TAMIU scored six unanswered points to seal the game.

For the game, Texas Wesleyan out rebounded TAMIU 45-42, but the Dustdevils out shot the Lady Rams 53%-37%.

Mauri Johnson led the Lady Rams with a career-high 24 points.  Shawndrika Coutney added 17 points and 19 rebounds.  Pilar Pinkus added 14 points while Tiffany Hill finished with 12 points.  TAMIU’s Vanessa Villarreal led all scorers with 27 points.