SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Men's Basketball) – Trey Sumpter was the story in the first half and the Javelina defense took over in the second as Texas A&M University-Kingsville (5-2) defeated St. Mary's University (2-5),79 -64, Tuesday evening at Bill Greehey Arena.
 
Sumpter scored 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 6-of-7 from long distance in the first half and finished with 29 points and six rebounds. His previous career-high heading into the South Central Regional bout was 21. As a unit, the Javelinas were 10-of-14 from behind-the-arc. In the second half, the defense stymied the Rattlers and held StMU – who shot 60.0 percent in the first - to just nine points in the final 13:41 of the game.
 
Quick Notes

• The win is the first at Bill Greehey Arena since Nov. 24, 2009
• Head coach Johnny Estelle holds the single game record for most three-pointers made in school history with nine. He jokingly said "Trey was close, but in all seriousness, there's no better guy to set a new record than Trey."
• The Javelinas improve to 2-0 on the road and in the blue uniforms

 
First Half
Sumpter was hot from the tip, draining eight of Kingsville's first 12 points to give the Hogs a 12-6 lead.
 
The shot was falling early with A&M-Kingsville shooting 64.3 percent from the floor to jump out to a 22-13 lead with 13:37 remaining in the first. The Hogs began 4-of-5 from three-point range and the pressing defense forced five turnovers midway through the first half.
 
The lead was extended to nine on Sumpter's three from the top of the key – his third three-pointer of the game and 13^th point of the game – with 8:00 remaining. Continuing to score at will, the Birmingham, Alabama native drained his career-best fifth triple with 5:22 left to play as Kingsville went into the tail end of the first with a 37-30 lead. His previous career-high of 21 was eclipsed at the 3:51 mark on his sixth three of the first half and moments later, Robert Christian connected on a jumper to put TAMUK in front by 10.
 
Taking care of the ball, the Javelinas did not commit a turnover until the 1:11 mark in the first and ended the half with a 12-to-2 assist to turnover ratio. Kingsville held a 50-42 edge heading into the half, draining 10-of-14 three-pointers and shooting 57.6 percent from the field.
 
Derrick Byrd dished out four assists and was 3-of-5 with seven points and Marcus Frazier added three dimes in the opening stanza. Sumpter stole the show in the half, concluding the best period in recent memory with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 6-of-7 from long distance.
 
Second Half
Defense was the story in the second half with Kingsville holding the Rattlers, who shot 60.0 percent in the first, to 21.4 percent in the final stanza.
 
After cutting its deficit to one possession with 13:41 remaining, St. Mary's went cold, going scoreless until the 7:08 mark.
 
Frazier reached double figures with six of his 10 points coming in the second and the Hogs extended their lead to double figures with 5:01 left to play. The lead became 19 with 1:36 remaining on Derrick Byrd's ninth point of the game. Kingsville earned its fourth victory of the season, 79-64, in the lone matchup with the Rattlers.
 
Coach Estelle's Comments
About the hot start
"We struggled shooting all weekend so it was good to come out and shoot the way we did in the first half. Trey was on fire and carried the offense."
 
About assist-to-turnover ratio
"It's important to take care of the ball and get a quality shot. It allowed us to find the open man and was a key to our win."
 
About the defensive game plan in the second half
"Coach Mark Mathew does an excellent job in scouting and changed up our plan. We were more aggressive defensively in the second and were able to crash the glass."
 
About heading into the break on a winning note
"Any time you win, especially in this tough region, it's a good feeling. With us having a layover with finals coming up, it was crucial to step up and improve on the things we needed to following our weekend. We will continue to improve as a unit and receive commitment from all parties."
 
The Hogs will take a break for finals and return to the hardwood Dec. 10 to host St. Edward's University.
 
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