TEXARKANA, TX---The Mustang Men's Basketball program kicked off the new year with an 89-82 overtime victory over Red River Conference foe Texas A&M-Texarkana. The victory pushes the Mustangs record to 8-6 on the season and 3-1 in RRAC play. 

"What a game!" said Head Coach Cory Hitchcock. "We struggled at times offensively and defensively but I expected that since we haven't played a game in 26 days. I was proud of the guys for fighting through our tough stretches and finding a way to get the win. We played our best basketball of the night in overtime so hopefully we shook off the rust and get back to the way we were playing before the break. This was a complete team win and a lot of guys stepped up and did their job. I'm also really impressed with our bench tonight. They brought a lot of energy and did a great job communicating to the guys on the floor. I couldn't be happier for these guys. They have worked hard all season and it's starting to pay off."

Joshua Harris lead the Mustangs in scoring with 19 points on 5-12 shooting from the field and 9-9 shooting from the free throw line. The Mustang utility man grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, blocked 2 shots and swiped 2 steals in 42 minutes of play. Fellow senior Akeem Black had 17 points of his own and 6-11 shooting. Black had 8 rebounds and 4 steals on the evening. Derrick Hall had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists. 

The Mustangs had a long layoff for the holiday break and Coach Hitchcock was happy with the way the guys showed up on December 29th for practice. "The guys came back from break ready to go. I was a little nervous with them having 14 days off but they locked in over the break and did something each day to stay in shape. When they came back they were ready to go. We also did a lot of full court stuff the last week and a half at practice to help get them ready for the second half of the season." 

The Mustangs travel to Wiley College on Saturday for another conference matchup.