KINGSVILLE, Texas (Men's Basketball) – In front of a crowd that included parents Sean Jahr and Lisa Burridge,
Jordan Jahr posted his third career double-double and first since the 2014-15 season opener and
Duan Wright scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half as Texas A&M University-Kingsville (8-16, 3-9 LSC) defeated Cameron University (11-13, 3-9 LSC), 72-67, on Wednesday evening at the Gil H. Steinke Physical Education Center-Kingsville Hampton Inn Court.
Trailing by as much as 12 with 6:32 remaining in the first half, the Javelinas dominated the second half, outscoring the Aggies, 43-33, and putting on a defensive showcase, sending away five shots.
Wright finished with a career-high 23 points and lit up the stat sheet, adding seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal, while Jahr finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in the win.
"It was a great team effort, but Duan and Jordan paced us tonight," said head coach
Johnny Estelle. "A guy that received some DNP's earlier in the season stepped up big for us for the second consecutive game in
Elliot Taylor. It is big to be playing your best basketball at this time.
"Now is do or die for us," continued Estelle. "Heading into the final games of the season and the LSC Tournament, one bad possession can cost you a game, so it is a major deal for our kids to come up with a quality win. They work hard in practice and throughout the games and I could not be prouder."
Despite shooting just 32 percent in the first half, the Javelinas trailed by just five at the half, 34-29. Jahr scored 11 first-half points and pulled down five rebounds (three offensive), and
Will West came off the bench to add eight points and three boards. For Cameron, Desmond Henry shot 4-of-7 for a game-high 13 points as the Aggies went 12-of-24 in the opening frame.
Jahr's lay-up early in the second half knotted the game at 34-all and with 17:24 remaining,
Troy Jones tied the game at 36. An 8-2 run by the Aggies gave CU a six-point edge, but Wright continued to provide highlight-reel plays in front of the home crowd, swatting away a three-point attempt with 14:58 left to play.
Back-to-back steals led to transition buckets by Wright, highlighted by a high-rising dunk as the Javelinas tied the game at 53 with 10:14 remaining. Continuing to shoot high-percentage shots, Texas A&M-Kingsville found the bottom of the nylon on consecutive baskets to take a two-point lead with 8:27 left to play.
Seconds later, Jahr blocked his second shot of the game to keep the Aggies scoreless for 3:00 minutes and Wright tipped in a second-chance opportunity on the offensive end for a four-point lead.
The defense continued to block shots at will with Taylor joining the swat party that led to a Jahr jumper with 5:51 remaining. Wright blocked his second shot of the half, but Cameron ended a scoring drought of four-plus minutes with a jumper at the 5:13 mark, ending an 8-0 Javelina run.
Wright continued to carry the Hogs in the latter half as Kingsville defeated Cameron, 72-67, to split the regular season series. The Javelinas nailed seven of their eight free throw attempts in the final two minutes of the game.
Tonight's win was Texas A&M-Kingsville's first conference victory when trailing at the half and fourth when limiting opponents to under-70 points.
TAMUK heads to #RV Midwestern State University on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available.
For full coverage of Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball, please follow @JavelinaMBB on Twitter and Instagram, like Javelina Nation on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel, Javelina Athletics.
