Kingsville – For the second straight year the Javelinas had the final possession with a chance to change the outcome of the game at home against West Texas A&M, but for the second straight year the Hogs came up just short. Click here for stats.
Pierre Barlow made a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left and Adan Montalvo’s 3-point shot at the buzzer fell short as the Texas A&M-Kingsville men’s basketball team dropped a tough 60-57 homecourt decision to West Texas A&M.
Clyde Johnson led the Javelinas with 13 points, Montalvo added 12 and Stephen Story had 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Junior point guard Wendell Mulkey added 10 points, 10 assists and five steals.
Robert Lee and Kyle Shields led West Texas A&M with 14 points apiece.
The loss dropped the Javelinas to 13-6 overall and 2-2 in the Lone Star Conference South Division. West Texas A&M improved to 14-6 and 4-1 in the LSC South.
Last year the Javelinas lost three LSC South Division home games by a combined total of eight points and Wednesday night the trend continued.
There were nine lead changes and three ties in the second half alone with neither team holding more than a five point lead the entire half and no more than a three point margin over the final 16 minutes.
Story scored on a layup with 7:08 left in the game to give the Hogs a 53-50 lead, but the Buffaloes went on a 6-0, holding the Hogs without a point for nearly four and a half minutes and gaining a 56-53 advantage.
Mulkey’s layup with 2:01 left cut the lead to one, 56-55 and the Hogs had the ball and a chance to take the lead after a blocked shot by Johnson.
But Reggie Love missed a 3-point shot and WT’s Chris Hinz scored on a layup to push the lead back to 58-56.
Story hit two free throws with 16 seconds remaining, but it was the last points the Javelinas would score.
The Javelinas got off to a quick first half start, hitting 3 of their first 5 3-point shots in running out to a 15-4 lead just six minutes into the game.
But the Buffaloes came roaring back, going on a 13-0 run, grabbing a 17-15 lead and holding the Hogs scoreless for six and a half minutes.
There were and six lead changes and six ties over the final 6 ½ minutes of the first half, with the Hogs scoring the final four points of the half to grab a 31-27 halftime advantage.
Montalvo, who led the Hogs with 10 first half points, hit a 3-point shot with 38 seconds left to give them their halftime cushion.
The Hogs defensive pressure made up for poor first half shooting. A&M-Kingsville forced 14 first half turnovers, had eight steals, four of those by Mulkey.
A&M-Kingsville shot just 36 percent from the floor, but made 4 of 10 3-point shots.
West Texas A&M made nearly 46 percent of their shots, but hit just 1 of 7 3-pointers.
The Hogs did have an advantage at the line, hitting 11 of 16 free throws while the Buffaloes made 6 of 7.
