COMMERCE, TEXAS – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men’s basketball team used the formula of good defense and offensive execution to defeat Texas A&M-Commerce on the road, 65-61 on Saturday night.  It was the sixth win in the last seven games for the Javelinas (6-3). (box score)

In the first half, the Lions (4-4) controlled play building up a 26-18 lead after a Brad Hambrick three-pointer with 4:28 to play.  The Hoggie defense limited the Lions to just two points over the remainder of the first half and when they closed with a 7-0 trailed just 28-27 at the break.

In the second half, the Javs briefly took the lead after a Wendell Mulkey (San Antonio/East Central HS) bucket on their first possession.  The Lions would retake the lead on the following possession and hold onto it until an Adan Montalvo (La Joya/La Joya HS) old-fashioned three-point play gave the Javelinas the lead with 4:52 remaining.

The Lions tied the score with 3:41 to play and then the teams would trade buckets over the next minute.  With the Hoggies up by two points, the Lions missed a 1-and-1 opportunity from the foul line.  The Javelinas took a four point lead when Clyde Johnson (San Antonio/Converse Judson HS) put back a missed shot with less than 1:45 to play.

The Lions cut the lead to 63-61 and had two chances to tie the score, but Montalvo came up with back-to-back steals in the final minute of play.  When Chip Johnson (Fort Worth/Univ. of Houston) knocked down two free throws with 10 seconds to play, the game was clinched.

The Javelinas were led by Johnson’s 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.  Flavio Milam (Killeen/Ellison HS) added 14 points and five rebounds.  Montalvo finished the game with a team high five assists and three steals.  The team shot 47.3 percent from the field, made 6-of-17 three-point attempts and was 7-of-11 at the foul line.  Jones and Adam Morris (Goliad/Goliad HS) each chipped in eight points off the bench.  The Hogs committed a season low nine turnovers in the game and out scored the Lions 17-4 in points off turnovers.

The Lions received balanced scoring as seven players scored between six and 11 points.  Hambrick led the team with 11 points off the bench that included a 3-for-5 performance from three-point range.  Rashad Brown had nine points and a game high seven rebounds.  The Lions shot 52.3 percent from the floor, made 5-of-11 three-pointers and were 10-for-14 from the line.  They committed 16 turnovers as a team.

The Javelinas are back in action on December 16 at Incarnate Word.  Tip-off time is set for 7 o’clock.
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