KINGSVILLE, Texas (Men's Basketball) – Three games into the season and the Javelinas have given the home crowd on Kingsville Hampton Inn Court several reasons to be excited about this year's team. Swarming it way to 16 turnovers by St. Mary's University (1-2) and shooting 82 percent from the free throw line, Texas A&M University-Kingsville (2-1) defeated the Rattlers, 76-71, on Wednesday evening.
 
St. Mary's, who received votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 Preseason Poll, struggled shooting the ball, going 22-of-58 from the field and 2-of-12 from long distance, but the Rattlers battled by scoring 20 points off TAMUK's 18 turnovers and going 25-of-29 from the charity stripe.
 
Point guard Don Thomas was sensational all evening and lit up the stat sheet, finishing with 20 points, six assists, four rebounds and one steal. Troy Jones went 7-of-11 to add 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks, but the highlight of the game was with 12:40 remaining in the game, when Jones brought the crowd to their feet with an emphatic dunk over his defender, giving the Javelinas a double digit lead, 54-44.
 
"We are jelling right now," said head coach Johnny Estelle. "We are trying to figure out our roles and responsibilities, but to their credit, they have worked hard to make plays and battle every day."
 
After Jones' dunk, the momentum swung to the Rattlers as St. Mary's went on an 11-2 run to cut its deficit to one, 56-55 with 9:15 remaining. However, the Javelinas continued to play physical and sealed the victory after DJ Weathers' steal with less than a minute left to play.
 
Jamar Goodwin provided 11 points and Weathers and Will West combined for 14 of TAMUK's 17 points off the bench. The second chance opportunities were dominated by the Rattlers as St. Mary's scored 16 points and recorded 16 offensive boards.
 
Marvin Whitt finished with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals and Ryan Thomas added 11 points.
 
The Javelinas head to NCAA Division I affiliate University of Texas-Pan American on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be provided and can be accessed by visiting the official home page of Javelina athletics, JavelinaAthletics.com.
 
For full coverage of Javelina men's basketball, please follow @JavelinaMBB on Twitter and @JavelinaAthletics on Instagram, and like our Facebook page (Javelina Nation).
 
Notes: The starting lineup of Don Thomas, Duan Wright, Jamar Goodwin, Jordan Jahr and Troy Jones are 2-1… The Javelinas shot over 50 percent for the first time this season… DJ Weathers made his TAMUK debut on Wednesday… The Hogs are now 2-1 when wearing gold jerseys and 2-0 in weekday contests.