ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Men's Basketball) – Texas A&M University-Kingsville (3-5) heads to the Sunshine State for its first contest since Dec. 3 to take on Eckerd College (4-2) Monday, Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m. CT and the University of Tampa (3-4) Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. CT.
 
The Javelinas look to put an end to a three-game losing skid and earn their first road win of the season. The Tritons upset No. 25 Florida Tech in their Sunshine State Conference opener, 78-70, on Dec. 6, while the Spartans fell to Nova Southeastern University, 86-82. UT is coming off a 20-10 season that earned the Spartans an appearance in the NCAA Division II South Regionals.
 
Live stats and video ($) will be available and can be accessed by visiting the official home of Javelina athletics, JavelinaAthletics.com.
 
Four Texas A&M-Kingsville student-athletes are averaging double-doubles, led by Jamar Goodwin's (14.0), Troy Jones' (13.8) and Jordan Jahr's (10.6) and DJ Weathers averaged 12.5 points off the bench. Jones' 62 percent shooting and 7.6 rebounds are team bests. Don Thomas is coming off a 18-point, seven-assist performance at Texas A&M International.
 
Scouting the Tritons
Jerrick Stevenson leads EC with 14.8 points per game and All-SSC returnee E.J. Moody, Malcolm Brunner Jr. and Trevon Young all average at least 10.0 points per contest. Tom Ryan is in his 19^th season at the helm of the Tritons and has amassed a 349-186 record. The Tritons are 2-1 at the McArthur Center.
 
Scouting the Spartans
An NCAA South Region participant last season, the Spartans' have Richard Schmidt as the leader on the sideline. In 34 seasons as head coach, Schmidt is 644-329 and appeared in 16 NCAA tournaments. Eugene McCrory leads Tampa with 18.1 points per game, followed by returning point guard Jordan Davis' 16.0 points and 6.6 assists/contest and Austin Rettig's 14.3 points/contest. The Spartans are 2-0 at the Bob Martinez Athletic Center.
 
Interesting Facts
The Javelinas do indeed have ties to the two universities competing in the Sunshine State Conference as assistant coach Mark Mathew was a former letterwinner at Lynn University. Mathew and the Fighting Knights advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship in 2005.
 
The meeting will be TAMUK's first against both opponents.
 
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