KINGSVILLE, Texas – After four consecutive losses, each of which came by five points or less, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team will try and end their skid away from home, as they prepare for matchups against the No. 25 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and the UT Permian Basin Falcons at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The Javelinas have come painfully close to victories each of their last four times on the court, even as they've faced off with some of the top teams in the Lone Star Conference. Their last two contests were against Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce, who both reside in the LSC's top four, and both games went down to the wire. First, against the TexAnns, TAMUK battled back from a halftime deficit to tie the game with just over a minute to play, but a quick bucket by McKinley Bostad and two free throws gave the visitors a four-point win. Two days later, the Lions visited the Steinke Physical Education Center and trailed by 13 in the second quarter, only to storm back and win by three. In each of the Javelina's last six losses, they've been tied in the final period.
Unfortunately for Wade Scott and his team, these recent setbacks have put the Hoggies in a precarious position as far as the postseason is concerned. Kingsville occupies the 10th slot in the LSC standings at 6-18 and 3-13 and the conference tournament only makes room for the league's top eight schools. The final spot currently belongs to Texas Woman's and their conference mark of 6-10, meaning TAMUK will need victories and help to steal the No. 8 spot from the Pioneers.
Over the last eight games, coach Scott has seen his offense average 67.8 points per game. That would stand as fourth-best in the LSC compared to the season averages of the other programs in the conference. Angelica Wilson, who is averaging a double-double with 11.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, has continued to be the spark that ignites the Javs' attack. She's hit double figures in her last six games and TAMUK's last three contests have seen her amass a double-double each time, giving her a total of 11 during the current campaign. As good as Wilson has been at scoring, the San Diego native has been even better on boards. She now sits in second place in the conference and 29th in the nation in rebounds per game.
This week, the Javelinas will be dealing with two teams whose fortunes have been very different during the 2017-18 season. Despite a few slip-ups, the West Texas Lady Buffs remain one of the most talented teams in the nation. They sit in second place in the LSC, thanks to marks of 12-4 in conference and 20-4 overall. Following a stretch of five games in January in which WT suffered four losses, they've rebounded and won five straight, the last three of which came on the road. This will be their first opportunity to play in front of their home fans in more than two weeks and they'll be looking to improve upon a mark of 9-3 at the First United Bank Center.
If the Javelinas want to spring an upset on the No. 25 team in the nation, their top priority will have to be attempting to break down a defense that's ranked in the top five in Division II in points allowed per game. The Lady Buffs give up an average of only 52.9 points per game and they're also in the top five in field goal percentage defense. They've only allowed two opponents to top 70 points this season. Rebounding is also an area where coach Kristen Mattio's team excels and they own the NCAA's fourth-best rebounding margin at 10.7. That strength was borne out when WT and TAMUK met for the first time and the Lady Buffs won the battle on the glass, 48-20.
On the other end of the spectrum are Rae Boothe's Falcons, who, like the Javelinas, are fighting for a spot in the LSC postseason. UTPB is two games behind TWU. Five straight defeats, including one at the hands of the Pioneers, have the Falcons' tournament hopes hanging by a thread and, to get back on track, they'll have to outplay a team that beat them just over a month ago.
Boothe's team has had issues on offense, as evidenced by a field goal percentage of 33.4% that ranks them last in the LSC, but Khali Pippins-Tryon has been one of the bright spots. She's scored 10 or more points in 12 of her team's last 14 games, mixing in two nights of at least 20 points during that stretch. One of her best performances of the season came in Kingsville against the Javelinas on Jan. 11th. The Dallas native totaled 19 points while also pulling down a season-high nine rebounds in a 59-55 defeat. Senior guard Sierra LaGrande will enter Saturday just over a week removed from her best night of the season, a 23-point performance against Midwestern State.
After the final buzzer on both days, visit Javelinaathletics.com for a full story on each game. You can receive content for Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball, you can follow @TAMUKWBB on Twitter and Instagram, like the official Facebook page of Javelina athletics (/JavelinaSports) and subscribe to the Javelina Athletics YouTube channel.
