SAN ANGELO, Texas (Men's Basketball) – Texas A&M University-Kingsville (12-7, 5-5 LSC) gets its first conference road win of the season after defeating RV Angelo State University (12-6, 4-6 LSC) 63-50 on Saturday evening in the Junell Center. With that win, Kingsville sweeps Angelo State for the first time since the 2011-12 season and for the first time in Johnny Estelle's era.

The Javelinas pulled off a mission close to impossible in the basketball gauntlet named the Lone Star Conference. Not only did they defeat a conference team receiving national attention, but the did it twice in one week! After topping ASU in South Texas 67-53, TAMUK managed to upset them in their own building by a similar margin. A&M-Kingsville did this by punishing Angelo State on the boards 43-28 and locked them down defensively. In fact, ASU had the lowest points scored (50), total rebounds (28) and three-point shooting percentage (12%) of any opponent the Hogs have faced this season. 

When asking head coach Estelle about how it feels to sweep a rival in Angelo State he said, "Any victory feels good. But it has been a long time coming to pull this off. We have been working to build our program up and build it the right way. These two wins in this fashion is big for our team and our coaching staff."

Duan Wright was all over the floor this evening and led the team with a new career-high 24 points, tied for a team-best two assists and also recorded three rebounds and two steals. Wright was the only player who scored in double figures. He was followed by Trey Sumpter who flirted with a double-double after finishing with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. Caelan Neal and Derrick Byrd each registered six points.

TEAM LEADERS

Texas A&M-Kingsville
Points: Duan Wright, 24
Rebounds: Trey Sumpter, 8
Assists: Three players with two assists
Steals: Caelan Neal, 3
Blocks: Three players with one block

Angelo State
Points: Thomas Tshikaya, 14
Rebounds: Thomas Tshikaya, 8
Assists: Two players with three assists
Steals: Napoleon Onyeje, 4
Blocks: Three players with one block 

1st Half
The Javelinas had a quick start as they led the Rams 20-13 six minutes into the game. Wright carried much of the load as he matched ASU in scoring alone at that point with 13 points. However, the Hogs went cold with their last bucket coming at the 4:38 mark, giving Angelo State the opportunity to take a slight lead late in the stanza. The first half ended with both teams tied, 26 all.

2nd Half
Both teams traded buckets to the 10:38 mark with the score still tied, 38-38. However, the Hogs went on a 17-2 run over five and a half minutes including a 12-0 run highlighted by a triple from Sumpter and an emphatic dunk and one by Wright for a 54-40 lead—the largest of the game—with 4:16 on the clock. Texas A&M-Kingsville did not look back as they blanketed the Rams offensively by leaving them scoreless for over three minutes in crunch time. Angelo State finally scored again with 44 seconds left to play but it was too late as the Hogs ran out the time to complete the sweep, 63-50.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Javelinas move to .500 in the LSC standings and matches their longest winning streak of the season.
• The Javelinas dominated much of the first half as the Rams held the lead for only two minutes. 
• Both clubs combined for 26 turnovers in the first half.
• ASU ended the game 2-of-17 from beyond-the-arc. In the last two games against TAMUK, the leading three-point field goal shooting team shot 4-of-38.
• Not only did Texas A&M-Kingsville out-rebound Angelo State 43-28, but they crushed them on the offensive glass 14-3 and outscored them in second chance points 14-1. 
• Wright topped his previous career-high of 23 points which he attained twice this season including nine days ago against Eastern New Mexico.
• The Javelinas knocked off the Rams in San Angelo for the first time since Feb. 1, 2014.
• The Javelinas matched a season-best 12 steals, tying the mark they just set against Angelo State earlier this week.
• Both teams combined for 86 turnovers in the two meetings this season. 
• The game featured seven ties, seven lead changes. TAMUK held the lead for a total of 28 minutes and 25 seconds. 

Estelle's Corner

When asked about:

…the challenges of playing a single team twice in one week.…

"It's hard playing a team twice in one week. Especially in this league when anyone can lose any night no matter if you are at home or not. But we were familiar with them and made plays when we needed them most. We have a group of high character guys who find ways to win."

Quotes from Duan Wright

When asked about:

…initial thoughts about game.…

"I felt very prepared for this game. Our coaches really do a great job getting us ready to compete at a high level. It is hard to compete at that high level day in and day out in this conference but to me, that goes back to the hard work that our coaches put in and the execution my teammates and I bring to the floor."

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Texas A&M-Kingsville 63, Angelo State 50
Records: Texas A&M-Kingsville (12-7, 5-5 LSC), Angelo State (12-6, 4-6 LSC)
Series: Texas A&M-Kingsville are 53-54 against Angelo State
Location: The Junell Center San Angelo, Texas
Time of Game: 4 p.m.
 

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