Men's Basketball 11/18/2008 12:00:00 AM

Dustdevils Slip Past Javs

Robert Williams had 25 points and 14 rebounds in his first game.

KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – Texas A&M International made a couple of big plays in the closing seconds of the game on Tuesday night to defeat the Texas A&M-Kingsville men’s basketball team, 76-73 at the Steinke Center. (box score)
The Javelinas (0-1) and Dustdevils (2-1) battled back and forth throughout the game which each team gaining the lead on six separate occasions. The Dustdevils gained the lead last on a Derek Barnes lay-up with 22 seconds to play. The Hoggies turned the ball over with five seconds to play and were forced to foul. Mark Walton drained two free throws for TAMIU and the length of the court pass at the end of the game was batted away to preserve the win.
In the first half, the Javelinas built up a 26-19 lead with 9:51 to play and appeared to be setting the tone of the ballgame. However, the Dustdevils were just getting heated up as Barnes and Sean Tucker went on a three-point barrage and when it ended they were up 34-27 with 4:51 to play in the half. TAMIU went into the break with a 40-34 lead.
In the second half, the Devils maintained an 8-to-11 point lead for the first 11:30. The Javs closed with a 12-2 run in a span of 1:56 to tie the game at 60-60 on an Adan Montalvo (La Joya/La Joya HS) three-pointer with 7:18 to play. The Javs continued to edge forward and held a 70-66 lead after a Chip Jones (Fort Worth/Univ. of Houston) jumper with 1:55 remaining.
The Devils reclaimed the lead by making four straight free throws and getting a lay-up while the Javs went 1-for-2 at the line. Junior Robert Williams (Dallas/Kimball HS) scored on a jumper in the lane for the Hoggies to take a 73-72 lead with 29 seconds to play. However, the lead would not last and the Javs would drop their season opener for the first time in eight years.
Williams, in his A&M-Kingsville debut, scored a game high 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. Clyde Johnson (San Antonio/Converse Judson HS) added 11 points, eight boards and three steals. Point guard Wendell Mulkey (San Antonio/East Central HS) had eight points and dished out seven assists. The Javs shot 41.7 percent from the floor and made 5-of-15 three-pointers, but were just 8-of-20 at the foul line. They out rebounded A&M International by a 43-37 margin and forced 20 turnovers while committing just 15.
The Dustdevils were led by their impressive point guard Derek Barnes who had 24 points while knocking down 9-of-15 shots from the field, including a 4-of-8 performance from three-point land. Tucker added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Spencer Foreman contributed 10 points by making all three of his field goal attempts and all four of his free throws. As a team, they connected on 50 percent of field goals and made 7-of-18 three-pointers. The difference in the game may have been that they were 13-of-18 from the free throw line.
The Javelinas do not have much time to lick their wounds as they will host St. Mary’s on Wednesday night at 7 o’clock. The game can be watched and listened to on line at http://www.teamline.cc/teampage?teamcode=7836.
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