SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men’s basketball team let a late 10-point lead slip away in a 70-67 overtime loss at St. Mary’s on Monday night.

The Javelinas (8-10) took a 57-47 lead after a pair of free throws by Robert Williams (Dallas/Kimball HS) with 1:44 remaining in regulation. What followed was unbelievable as the Rattlers (12-5) knocked down four three-pointers in the final 1:30 of regulation, including a game-tying trey by Lamb Autrey with seven seconds left.

The Hogs committed a pair of turnovers in the last 43 seconds that gave the Rattlers their chance. The Javs had a chance at the end of regulation to win, but Williams’ shot did not fall.

In overtime, the Rattlers held the lead until Derryl Nash (Austin/Elgin HS) knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer for the Javelinas with 49 seconds remaining to make it 66-65 Hogs. Ryan Layssard (Opelousas, LA/Opelousas HS) stole the ball from the Rattlers on the next possession and was fouled where he made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe.

Daryell Taylor won the game for the Rattlers with a three-pointer with three seconds remaining. The Javelinas turned the ball over on the in-bounds pass and D.J. Castro iced the game with a pair of free throws.

This was the second time this year that the Rattlers scored a game-winning field goal with under five seconds remaining in the game after mounting a furious comeback against the Javelinas.

The Javelinas shot 34.9 percent from the field, made 5-of-12 from three-point range and were 18-for-28 at the foul line. Williams had the best game of his Javelina career with 35 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and two assists without committing a turnover. He went 10-for-23 from the field and 15-for-19 from the foul line. He had eight of the team’s 21 offensive rebounds. Nash finished with 16 points and six rebounds while making 4-of-7 from three-point range.

The Rattlers shot 43.9 percent from the field, made 7-of-13 from three-point range and were 13-for-18 from the foul line. Taylor led the team with 19 points while Moses Sundufu added 18 points and went 4-of-5 from three-point range. Kevin Kotzur posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds while Brad Hubenak added 10 points off the bench.

The Javelinas grabbed seven more rebounds than the Rattlers and committed three fewer turnovers.

The Javelinas are back in action on Thursday at Lone Star Conference rival Eastern New Mexico.
####
pr12021smm