AUSTIN, TX- Colorado Christian closed play in Texas on Tuesday as they took on Texas A&M International. A tight affair did not go the way of the Cougars in a narrow 61-56 setback. 

Elise Grosdidier got things going with an early jumper, and Ja'Shelle Johnson later got a jumper to go. Jordon Heckert connected on a jumper of her own as CCU trailed 14-10 after one.

Offense was hard to come by in the second, but Elise got a layup to go and Amaya Felix made a jumper to keep things close. A late Johnson jumper sent the game to the half with TAMIU leading 27-22. 

Heckert drilled a three-pointer early in the third to tighten the gap, while Felix splashed in another shot from downtown to make it 33-30. A trio of free throws by Johnson to close the quarter had the Cougars down just one at 40-39 heading to the fourth. 

The Dustdevils started strong in the fourth, but Elise got another layup to go to keep her team in it. An Ezra Simonich layup and three from Elise had CCU right back in the game, and Samantha Wattawa tightened the contest to 56-53 after a layup with 1:57 left. Despite a late three from Felix, TAMIU closed with a pair of free throws to seal the victory 61-56. 

Elise led her team with 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Heckert poured in 12 points with 6 boards. Felix had 10 points while Johnson dished out a team high three assists. 

The Cougars begin RMAC play with their home opener on December 4 as they face off against Western Colorado at 6 p.m. MST inside the CCU Event Center.