CANYON, Texas – Caelen Neal reached a new season-high with 19 points, but the No. 8 West Texas A&M Buffs overwhelmed the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team, 88-60 on Thursday night at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas.

The Javelinas have now dropped six straight for a record of 11-14 and 4-10 in the Lone Star Conference. West Texas can lay claim to marks of 23-2 and 13-2.

The teams began the night by exchanging threes, as Gach Gach and Christian Bambrook each canned triples and C.J. Jennings added another three for the Buffs. A layup by Ryan Quaid put West Texas up by five, but TAMUK came back to even the score at eight, with all five points coming from Trey Sumpter.

A triple by David Chavlovich and a layup by Robert Stevenson gave WT a one-point edge but Derrick Byrd tied the game with a trey that followed a bucket by Gaige Prim. The teams exchanged scores to keep things even at 15.

West Texas was then able to find a rhythm on offense and take the first double digit lead of the night. A bucket from beyond the arc by Jennings sparked the run and it was quickly followed by triples from Drew Evans, Jordan Collins and another from Jennings for a 12-0 rally. Neal responded with a triple for TAMUK, but Gach responded in kind, restoring WT's 12-point advantage.

After Evans tossed in a basket and the Javs added one to their total, Jennings converted a layup, but Cris Boleware came back with his first three of the night. Once again, however, the Buffs responded with an offensive burst, tallying 11 of the contest's next 14 points in a stretch that upped their lead to 20 and included another trey from Jennings. TAMUK scored the next four points to make the score 45-29, but the home team would go into halftime ahead by 19.

Each side scored three times in the opening minutes of the second half, but two of the Javelina's buckets were from three-point range, with the treys coming courtesy of Bambrook and Sumpter. Sumpter soon added a jumper to bring TAMUK within 15, but a layup by Collins pushed the Buffs' edge back to 17. Chavlovich then proceeded to tack on a jumper and Collins sank a three, giving WT a 22-point lead. Neal tried to establish some momentum for the Hogs with his third three-pointer, but Jordan Evans came right back with a triple of his own and another by Gach put WT ahead 73-48. The Javelinas proceeded to move within 18 thanks to eight consecutive points, but West Texas responded by pouring in 13 straight and cruised the rest of the way for the victory.

Another challenge awaits for the Javs, who will take on No. 10 UT Permian Basin on Saturday with tip-off time set at 4 p.m. You can receive content for Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball by following @JavelinaMBB on Twitter and Instagram, liking the official Facebook page of Javelina athletics (/JavelinaSports), and subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube channel.