KINGSVILLE, Texas – Three members of the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team will play their final games in the Blue and Gold this weekend, when the Javelinas (6-20, 3-15) receive visits from the Western New Mexico Mustangs, who they'll play at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, and the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds, TAMUK's opponent on Saturday at 4 p.m., the date that will also serve as Senior Day for the Javs.
Fourth-year players Ope Ibrahim, Emmeri Archer and Angelica Wilson have helped resurrect a program that didn't win a game in conference play in 2014-15 and 2015-16. In their junior season, this trio helped the Javelinas improve by nine wins and earn a spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. Once they arrived in postseason play, the Hoggies proceeded to make history, becoming the first No. 8 seed to ever upset the tournament's top-ranked school, as the Javs toppled Eastern New Mexico in the first round. This also represented TAMUK's first postseason win since 2001.
Ibrahim is the only one of the three that has been a member of the program for her entire career. Over the course of four years in Kingsville, the Houston native totaled over 300 points and close to 350 rebounds. Her best night in the Blue and Gold came at the Steinke Physical Education Center during her junior year. Ibrahim came off the bench to tally 16 points against Western New Mexico, helping lead her team to a 71-62 win. As a senior, Ibrahim has been one of TAMUK's best rim protectors, as evidenced by her team-high 19 blocked shots.
After spending her junior season coming off the bench for the Javelinas, Emmeri Archer is the only player to have started every game for coach Wade Scott this season. She currently leads the Hoggies in steals and is also among the team leaders in assists and scoring. Archer's top performance in the Blue and Gold came the first time the Javelinas and Mustangs met this season. Her 16 points were a team-high as Kingsville cruised to an 18-point victory. A native of Brooklyn, Archer needs 25 points over her last two games to hit 200 for the season. She's also 18 rebounds shy of a career total of 100.
For Wilson, she's used her senior season to establish herself as one of the top post players in the LSC. She currently sits in second place in the conference with an average of 10 rebounds per game to go with a scoring average of 11.7 points per game. Wilson is attempting to become the first Javelina to average a double-double for an entire season since Arie Wilson in 2002-03. For her career, Wilson owns an average of eight rebounds per game, a figure that would tie her for eighth-best in program history. This season, she's reached double figures in points and on the glass in the same game 12 times, including in four of her last five, and she's currently on a streak of eight straight games with at least 10 points.
Trying to rain on this parade will be TAMUK's two rivals from the Land of Enchantment. A year ago, the Javelinas and Mustangs met in the penultimate game of the season for both schools and WNMU sprung a shocking upset on their visitors. In order to avoid a similar result on Thursday, the Javs will have to slow down leading scorer Ciara Fields. When Fields and the 'Stangs went up against the Javelinas in January, the junior guard set a new season-high with 26 points, but she also shot 9-of-30 from the field and, as a team, Lauren Unger's crew posted a shooting percentage of 24.2.
Eastern New Mexico enters Saturday's contest with a record of 16-9 and 12-6 in the LSC and they are holding on to the fourth seed in the LSC Tournament. On Jan. 18th, the Hoggies took them to an extra period before the Greyhounds prevailed. Defense has been the strength of coach Josh Prock's team this season. They rank in the top half of the conference in every defensive category except steals and have allowed the lowest field goal percentage in the LSC from beyond the arc. On offense, Prock favors a balanced approach. He has seven players who are averaging better than five points per game.
Complete coverage of both games this weekend, including live video and a postgame recap will be available through Javelinaathletics.com. To 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.
