San Angelo – A year after losing 87-41 to Angelo State a year ago in San Angelo, Texas A&M-Kingsville showed what a difference a year makes by beating the regionally ranked Rambelles 66-63 in overtime.
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The Javelinas trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, by 9 at halftime and again by 9, 53-44 with three minutes left to go, but scored the final four points in regulation and led for most of the overtime period.
The win was the fifth in the last seven games for the Javelinas as they improved to 7-10 overall and 2-2 in the Lone Star Conference.
Angelo State, which has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six years and was ranked 7th in this week’s Division II South Central Region poll, lost for just the second time at home all season and fell to 10-7 and 2-3 in league play.
Lana Toki scored 10 of her 15 points in the final 30 seconds of regulation and overtime to lead the Javelinas. She also had 11 rebounds in posting her sixth double-double of the season.
Angela Trotter scored in double figures for the eighth consecutive time and had 14 points while Jasmine June had 12.
“Our kids were mad at halftime,” said Javelina head coach Dina Kangas. “I told them they had to weather the storm and keep their composure. This was a big game for kids to step up and they did. They walked off the court and they expected to win. Only me, Angela and Jasmine remember that game from last year because we were the only ones here.”
The Javelinas held the Rambelles without a basket and to just one point in the final 2:53 of regulation to force the overtime period.
Down 54-50, Toki grabbed a defensive rebound, drove the length of the floor and scored with 27 seconds left to cut the lead to two. She followed that up with a layup with five seconds left to send it into overtime.
In the overtime, Angelo State grabbed an early 57-56 lead, but the Javelinas scored the next four points on baskets by Toki and never trailed again.
Freshman Dyana Bullinger hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to make it 66-63 and Britinee Davis’ 3-point shot at the buzzer rimmed in and out as the Javelinas broke the Rambelles 10-game winning streak against them and earned their first win over them since 2001.
The Javelinas weathered an early 12-0 in the first half to stay with the Rambelles, trailing 30-21 at the intermission.
Angela Trotter scored the first points of the game, but the Rambelles ran off 12 consecutive points, eight of those by Britinee Davis.
But the Javelinas rallied to cut the lead to 18-13 with 8:32 left and 26-21 with 4:38 remaining.
Both teams went into the deep freeze as neither team scored for nearly four minutes before the Rambelles scored the final four points of the half, the final basket coming on a layup by Kandra Lakey at the buzzer.
Lakey and Davis scored 26 of the Rambelles 30 first half points.
Trotter led the Javelinas with six points, Jasmine June had five and freshman Sandra Maldonado came off the bench to score four.
Neither team shot well as Texas A&M-Kingsville made just 38 percent of its shots while Angelo State made just 32 percent.
Angelo State hurt the Javelinas on the offensive glass in the first half, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds, which led to 10 more shot attempts.
