KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – Coming off a season that saw the team grab 19 wins and reach the NCAA Division II Playoffs, there was some uncertainty for the Texas A&M-Kingsville men’s basketball team as they lost four starters from that team.  Those concerns have been allayed thus far as this year’s Javelinas have looked even better than last year and picked up their 10th win of the season on Wednesday night against visiting Huston-Tillotson, 79-56.  (box score)

The win at Kingsville Hampton Inn Court gives the Javelinas (10-2) 13 straight victories at home dating back to last year.

The Javelinas took control of the game during the early going as they posted a 12-0 run to take a 16-5 lead just 8:32 into the game.  They led by as many as 16 points in the first half, but went cold from the field late in the half and did not make a field goal over the final 5:11.  Despite the cold spell, the Hoggies took a 32-21 lead into halftime over the Rams (0-7).

The Rams came out firing in the second half.  They scored the first five points to cut the lead to six points after a Darrell Glover free throw.

The Javelinas responded with a 10-1 run that was punctuated by three straight lay-ups to take a 42-27 lead with 15:15 remaining.  They would never lead by fewer than 10 points the remainder of the game.

The Javelinas improved to 9-0 this year when holding opponents under 70 points.  They shot 49.2 percent from the field, made 2-of-15 three-point attempts and went 19-for-28 at the foul line.  Royce Gaye (Houston/Klein HS) led the way with 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks.  Naquawn Lee (San Antonio/East Central HS) added 12 points and five boards while making all six of his free throws.  Flavio Milam (Ellison/Killeen HS) came off the bench and put up a double-double with a dozen points and rebounds.  Marcus Ford (Colorado Springs, CO/Mesa Ridge HS) added eight points and 10 boards in his first career start.

The Rams were led by Titus Butler who had 19 points despite making only 3-of-11 free throw attempts.  Davetom Odom added 10 points while Rex Kyles led the team with eight rebounds.  They shot just 32.8 percent from the field, made 1-of-9 three-pointers and were 17-for-33 at the foul line.

The Javelinas pulled down 14 more rebounds than the Rams and had 16 assists against only 13 turnovers.

The Hoggies now go on a two-week road trip as they head out to Central Oklahoma for a Tuesday night game at 8 o’clock and will not return home until after a January 13th game at West Texas A&M.
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