KINGSVILLE, Texas – After a tightly contested and intense first half, Texas A&M University-Kingsville (9-7, 2-4 LSC) could not keep pace with #6 UT Permian Basin (14-1, 6-0 LSC) as they dropped their sixth consecutive game by a count of 79-50 at the Gil E. Steinke Physical Education Center on Thursday night.
The Javelinas played great basketball versus the nationally ranked club in the first 20 minutes, but the Falcons took flight in the second half, outscoring the Hogs 49-23 as they dominated for their 11th consecutive win.
Christian Bambrook matched his season-high with 12 points and two steals while setting a career-high of four blocks in the loss. He also led the team on the glass with six rebounds.
Caelan Neal also finished with 12 points and dished out four dimes and a team-best three steals.
Jacolby Harris and
Elton Dyer both finished with six points and
Trey Sumpter had five.
Josh Morris led the Falcons and was two rebounds shy of a double-double as he logged 20 points and recorded two blocks and one assist. Although he shot 5-of-14 from the field, James McPherson was a perfect 7-of-7 at the free throw line and concluded with 19 points in the route.
First Half
It was a slow start for both teams with UTPB leading 6-5 by the first media timeout. Following the break in the action, the Falcons went on a 5-0 burst before
Derrick Byrd sunk a three at the top of the key. Both teams would continue to trade baskets through the middle of the stanza but back-to-back triples from Neal and Bambrook tied the game at 19 with 5:05 on the clock. James McPherson would answer with a three-pointer of his own, scored two more points from the stripe, and converted on a three-point play to put the Falcons ahead 27-21 at the 3:20 mark. After McPherson's run, the Hogs went 4-of-4 at the free throw line and Bambi recorded a steal and fastbreak dunk to round out the scoring for the Javelinas. They would enter the locker room trailing 30-27.
Bambi put up a team-best ten points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 14 minutes. Neal dropped six in the first 20 minutes and
Jacolby Harris followed with four points.
Second Half
In the first two minutes of the frame, the Hogs pulled within one point after a knockdown triple from
Trey Sumpter. However, a massive 34-6 run put the visitors ahead big and their led ballooned to as much as 34 points in the second half.
The Javelinas will return to the Kingsville Hampton Inn Court on Saturday at 2 p.m. when they take on #8 West Texas A&M who downed Angelo State 81-77.
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.
Receive content for Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball by following @JavelinaMBB on Twitter and Instagram, like the official Facebook page of Javelina athletics (/JavelinaSports), and subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube channel.
