KINGSVILLE, Texas – No. 23 Texas A&M University-Kingsville (9-3, 2-0 LSC) erased a 16-point deficit at the hands of St. Mary's University (5-8, 1-1 Heartland Conference) in the second half, but was unable to claim their tenth win of the season, falling 61-57 on Tuesday night at the Gil E. Steinke Physical Education Center. 

For the first time this season, the Javelinas drop back-to-back games and although outworking the Rattlers in the paint (38-24) and turned the visiting team's 21 turnovers into 25 points, the three-ball is what really hurt them, shooting 1-of-16 in the game and 3-of-33 in the two-game skid. The loss also snaps a three-game winning streak over St. Mary's and marks the first loss to them on the Kingsville Hampton Inn Court since a 52-51 decision in the 2013-14 season.  

It was a rocky start for both teams. Kingsville turned in their least productive half of the season as they shot 25.9 percent in the first frame and was 0-of-10 from three-point territory, and yet, with ten turnovers, they found themselves down by just nine points after the first 20 minutes. Though the Rattlers started the second half hot and led by as much as 16 points, a 10-0 run by the Hogs brought the lead to single digits and late in the half, an 18-8 run gave the team from South Texas a one-point lead which was their first since scoring the first two points of the game.  

With just over a minute remaining, Petar Radojicic and Cris Boleware exchanged baskets but Radojicic delivered the and-one dagger with 35 seconds left as St. Mary's would even the season series with the 61-57 win. 
 
Boleware led the Javelinas with a season-high 12 points and team-high four assists. Kyren Block was essential in the second half surge, scoring ten of his 11 points in the final 20 minutes and pulled down seven rebounds. Trey Sumpter was a few plays away from a double-double, finishing with nine points and a game-high eight rebounds while Caelan Neal and Jacolby Harris both turned in seven points. 

Skylar Brooks led the Rattlers with 18 points and six rebounds and Radojicic topped his average of 12 ppg, dropping 16 points and shot an impressive 6-of-8 from the stripe.      

First Half 
Neither team could get the lid off of the basket in the first fifteen minutes of the contest with both teams shooting less than 25 percent from the floor.  Bambrook scored the Javelinas first four points, but the Rattlers took an 8-4 lead by the first media timeout after a 5-0 burst. After nearly four minutes without a field goal from either team, Boleware knocked down a mid-range jumper to tie the game at eight at the 12:27 mark. Tyler Barlow hit a step-back jumper as the shot clock expired and DeMarco Enoch followed with a layup, giving the Rattlers a 15-9 lead. With just over two minutes remaining, Will Ferguson connected from the corner to extend the lead to 23-14, serving as the largest lead of the half. Boleware would end the half with four straight points, however, the Hogs trailed 23-18 entering intermission. 

Boleware led the Hogs with six points and Bambrook followed with four. Sumpter had a game-high of five rebounds at the break and Harris recorded two steals. 

Second Half 
The Rattlers came out of the locker room with a fire lit under them, especially when Skylar Brooks completed a four-point play to boost the lead to 11. Ferguson then connected from three-point range on the next possession for a 34-20 lead. Sumpter made an attempt to jump-start the Javs as he nailed the first-and-only triple of the game for the Hoggies, however, the Rattlers kept their intensity high, answering with a 6-2 run to go ahead 40-25 with 15:58 on the clock. The Javelinas begin to pick things up though, thanks to a gimpy Derrick Byrd whose energy led the charge in a 10-0 run, slicing the Rattlers lead 43-37. Moments later, Block went coast-to-coast, slamming the ball home after reading Freddie Williams' pass perfectly, and converted on another paint touch on the next trip to size down the deficit 45-43 with 8:32 left to play. The run continued on the other side of the media timeout, pulling within one point on a 16-8 run before Sumpter sunk two free throws, giving the Hogs a 55-54 lead – the first since 16 seconds into the game.  

With 1:25 on the clock, Petar Radojicic's jumper helped StMU regain the lead. Although Boleware clapped back with a quick layup,  Radojicic kissed it off the glass with 35 seconds left and completed the and-one play for a 59-57 advantage. It turned into a fouling game after that and two made free throws was enough to seal the game for St. Mary's.      

Notable Stats 
- The Javelinas outscored the Rattlers 39-38 in the second half and 33-12 from the bench. 
- Although both teams logged 11 offensive rebounds, TAMUK was outdone in second-chance points 11-5 and lost the battle on the boards 36-30. 
- Kingsville ends its non-conference schedule with a 7-3 record despite a 3-3 mark versus the Heartland Conference (4-0 versus RMAC). 

Texas A&M-Kingsville will return to the Kingsville Hampton Inn Court after Christmas, closing out its four-game homestand against Midwestern State on Saturday, December 30. 

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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