CANYON, TEXAS – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men’s basketball team fell out of a tie for first place in the Lone Star Conference South Division after losing at West Texas A&M, 64-55 on Saturday night.  (box score)

The Javelinas (17-8, 7-3) and Buffalos (16-10, 6-5) played a tightly contested that was not decided until the final minutes of the game.  The Buffalos led 52-50 with 4:16 to play when they went on a 9-0 run to take control of the game.

The Javelinas struggled to shoot from the field and the foul line.  They shot 37.5 percent from the field, made 4-of-11 three-pointers and were just 9-of-16 from the foul line.  Royce Gaye (Houston/Klein HS) and Robert Williams (Dallas/Kimball HS) each had 11 points to lead the team in scoring.  Williams also pulled down a career high 15 rebounds in 25 minutes coming off the bench.  Point guard Wendell Mulkey (San Antonio/East Central HS) dished out a team high five assists.

The Buffalos were led by Bijan Dotson who had 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.  He went 9-of-14 from the floor.  The Buffs shot 48.9 percent from the field, made 5-of-14 three-pointers and were 13-of-25 from the foul line.  Nick Burns was the only other player in double figures as he had 11 points and six boards.

The Javelinas outrebounded the Buffs by a 37-32 margin, but committed two more turnovers than the home team.

With one week left in the season, the Javelinas, Buffalos and Tarleton State are fighting it out for the final two LSC Playoff spots.  The Javelinas need either one win or a Tarleton State loss to move on to the tournament.  The Hoggies still have a chance to earn the #1 seed in the South Division with Angelo State and Midwestern State tied at 8-2 in the division.  The Javelinas play Midwestern State on the final day of the regular season while ASU and MSU will meet on Wednesday.

The Javelinas, sixth in the most recent NCAA Division II South Central Regional rankings, plays host to Tarleton State on Wednesday night for an 8 o’clock tip-off. 
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