KINGSVILLE, Texas – After spoiling what could have been a 10-0 start, St. Edward's University (10-2, 1-1 Heartland Conference) won the decision again over No. 23 Texas A&M University-Kingsville (9-2, 2-0 LSC) 85-83 on Saturday evening, handing the Javelinas their first loss of the season at the Gil E. Steinke Physical Education Center. 

St. Edward's came out of the gates firing, shooting a 50 percent clip and knocked down four triples to hold a lead as large as 15 points in the first eight minutes of the game. Although SEU would go into the half leading 41-32, Texas A&M-Kingsville outscored its opponent 51-44 in the second half and came within one point before the Hilltoppers sealed the game thanks to a solid performance at the charity stripe.

Derrick Byrd paced the Hogs with a new season-high of 14 points and added three assists, followed by Trey Sumpter's 13 points (albeit ten came in the first half) and eight rebounds. Robert Stevenson, Elton Dyer, and Cris Boleware tied for nine points each, however, Stevenson nearly had a double-double after pulling down a career-high 14 boards and swatted away three shots to lead all players. 

SEU's Landon Goesling (16 points), Sean Phillips (15 points), Cory McKendree (14 points), Dorian Lopez (12 points), and James Taylor (10 points) all finished in double-digits, while Lopez recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds. Senior guard Sean Watkins was a key contributor with seven points, a game-high five assists, and two steals despite fouling out.  

First Half 
St. Edward's opened the half with five unanswered points and held a 12-3 lead less than three minutes into the game, forcing a Javelina timeout. The Hilltoppers would stretch their lead to 15, but the fighting Hogs kept their composure and cut the deficit down to six after an 11-2 run with 9:12 left in the half. On the other side of a media timeout, Elton Dyer scored four straight points, but was answered with a 7-0 St. Edward's run, extending the lead back to double-digits, 31-20. With seconds remaining in the frame, Sumpter completed a three-point play and SEU went into the intermission leading 41-32. 

Sumpter had a game-high of ten points and Jacolby Harris was next with six points. Elton Dyer and Derrick Byrd both tallied four points and Robert Stevenson had a game-high of six rebounds by the half.

Second Half 
On the very first possession of the new frame, Sean Phillips drained his third three of the game for the Hilltoppers, however, the Hogs went on a 12-2 surge highlighted by back-to-back layups from Dyer that shaved St. Edward's advantage to 46-44. With Hog Heaven engaged, Phillips silenced the crowd with another three from the wing but it was quickly forgotten when Kyren Block's two-handed jam brought the fans and bench to their feet. SEU would not quit though and brought the lead back to ten (60-50) after a 9-0 run that featured Phillips' third longball of the half with 10:54 on the clock. Fast forwarding down the stretch, Neal completed the three-point play, bringing the score to 71-64 with 5:47 on the clock. Will West hit a jumper on the next possession and moments later the Hilltoppers' lead was sliced to three (73-70) after Cris Boleware knocked down the open trey. After constant trips to the line for both teams, the Javelinas would come within one point thanks to a bucket from Sumpter. It would be the closest they would get unfortunately as the visiting team continued to make their free throws when it mattered most. They went on to outlast the Javelinas 85-83.    

Notable Stats 
- St. Edward's led wire-to-wire in the game. 
- Kingsville outshot St. Edward's 45%-40%. 
- TAMUK shot an uncharacteristic 2-of-17 from behind-the-arc, making just one triple in each half. 
- The Javelinas coughed up 17 turnovers that translated to 22 Hilltopper points. 
- Texas A&M-Kingsville dominated the paint 42-32 as well as the bench 41-21.  
- This is the Hogs first loss then season when scoring over 80 points. 
- TAMUK put together a 14-2 run to start the second half rally. 
- Stevenson logged three blocks in a single game for the second time this season. 
- Christian Bambrook finished with seven rebounds. 

Texas A&M-Kingsville will close out its non-conference schedule on Tuesday, December 19 when they take on St. Mary's University for the second time this season. 

Become a member of the 6th Man Pack that features great benefits such as reserved chairback seating for home games and access to the 6th Man Pack Lounge at LSC doubleheaders for the 2017-18 season. The 6th Man Pack Lounge will be catered by Fatman's Meat Market. For more information on joining the team, contact the ticket office at 361-593-4030. 

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