KINGSVILLE, Texas – In the first of three consecutive games on their home court, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team will welcome their conference rivals, the Cameron Aggies, to the Steinke Physical Education Center on Thursday for a 5:15 p.m. clash in Kingsville, Texas.
The Javelinas (3-6, 0-2) will be attempting to pick up their first win in the month of December and end a four-game losing streak. They are coming off a barnburner against Texas Women's University that saw the Pioneers score the game-winning bucket with less than 10 seconds to play in a 50-48 decision. The Javs will also be trying to top 50 points for the first time in four games, as they've been unable to reach that total in their last three contests. They have, however, won twice this season when they didn't hit that benchmark due to a rugged defense that has TAMUK in the top three in the Lone Star Conference in both scoring and rebounding defense this season.
The Aggies (3-4, 1-1) recently saw their three-game skid come to an end thanks to a home victory over Tarleton State. They had previously fallen to Southwestern Oklahoma State, Harding and Texas A&M-Commerce before toppling the Texan by seven and evening their conference record at .500.
The stout defense of the home team stands in stark contrast to the high-flying offense Cameron will be bringing to the SPEC. Coach Emma Andrews has her troops averaging an LSC-best 71.6 points per game and they've topped 80 points three times. Their shooting percentage 38% stands as the conference's second best and they also own the second-most thefts in the LSC, averaging 8.86 every time they hit the floor.
Their attack is led by sophomore Jamie Bonnarens, the league leader in ppg at 18.1. The native of Cache, Okla. entered this season off a freshman campaign during which she averaged 14.4 ppg and garnered an all-conference honorable mention selection. This year, she has continued to improve, hitting 20 points four times, including a 28-point performance against SW Oklahoma State, during which she also corralled 10 rebounds. Bonnarens recorded her second double-double against Commerce, when she was credited with 22 points and 12 boards.
Kingsville has relied on a much more diverse offense. In nine games, seven different players have led the team or tied for the team lead in scoring and nine different student-athletes have been a member of the starting five.
Ope Ibrahim has led the team in scoring in two of TAMUK's last three games and on Saturday, she set a career-high in rebounds, collecting a game-high 14. On the glass, Angelica Wilson and Tatyana McFarland continue to occupy spots in the LSC's top 10. Wilson's average of 8.0 rebounds per game place her fifth in the LSC and McFarland's mark of 7.5 rpg place her just one spot behind her teammate.
The all-time series between these programs stands at 22-18 in favor of Cameron, but the Javs hold an edge over the Aggies at the SPEC, 10-8. Each school won at home last season, with the Javelinas capturing a 69-54 victory thanks in large part to Meesha Wade, who tallied 18 points. The last time the Aggies earned a season sweep came in 2015-16, while TAMUK last won the season series was in 2012-13.
The opening tip between these two teams scheduled from 5:15 p.m. Visit Javelinaathletics.com for live video and audio with Mark Inserra and Jim Carl on the call and live stats will also be available as well. Following the final buzzer, Javelinaathletics.com is also where you can visit for a full recap.
