PORTLAND, Ore. - Former Midwestern State All American Eric Dawson scored nine points, pulled down six rebounds and blocked a shot in his National Basketball Association debut Tuesday night at the Rose Garden.
 
The 6-9 forward played 32 minutes for the San Antonio Spurs who dropped a 137-97 decision to snap an 11-game winning streak.
 
Dawson becomes the second Midwestern State product to appear in an NBA game joining former standout Gary Suiter, who averaged 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds for the original Cleveland Cavaliers over 30 games during the 1970-71 season.
 
Dawson is the 10th Lone Star Conference alum to appear in an NBA game and the first since Central Oklahoma's Eddie Robinson scored 1,938 points for the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls from 1999-2004.
 
Other NBA performers from the LSC include East Texas State's Bob Carpenter (1950-51), Jake Carter (1950) and Bill Gaines (1969), Sam Houston State's Frank Gates (1950) and Murray Mitchell (1950) and Stephen F. Austin's George Johnson (1971-74) and James Silas (1973-82).
 
Dawson averaged 16.6 points and 10.6 rebounds in two seasons (2005-07) at Midwestern State. He earned All-LSC first-team honors in both seasons and was a Basketball Times second-team All American while helping the Mustangs to a conference title and a NCAA regional appearance in 2007.
 
He led all of college basketball with 23 double-doubles (points-rebounds) in 2006-07 and remains the program's career leader in blocks with 170.
 
Dawson spent the last five season with the Austin Toros (NBADL) dating back to 2007-08. In 67 career games, he averaged 11.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.18 blocks per game. He has also played internationally in Slovenia, Japan, South Korea and the Dominican Republic.