KINGSVILLE, Texas – Cris Boleware hit a game-tying triple as the regulation buzzer sounded, but the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team was unable to overcome the Tarleton State Texans and fell 72-78 in overtime on Thursday night at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
The sequence that led to Boleware's clutch shot started after Tarleton sank four straight free throws to go ahead by six. Johnnathan Lindsey hit a corner three with 2.5 seconds to play, cutting TAMUK's deficit in half. On the ensuing inbounds play. Jaraand Lands bobbled the inbounds pass and lost the ball out of bounds. With two seconds remaining, Boleware caught the inbounds pass on the left wing launched a shot that caught twine and even things at 67.
In the extra period, the Hogs took a one-point lead two minutes in thanks to a put-back dunk by Robert Stevenson, but that edge lasted less than a minute. Two foul shots and a tip-in by Josh Hawley put Tarleton State in front and they were able to hold off the Javs the rest of the way.
A 10-2 run to start the game, which included threes from Caelen Neal and Trey Sumpter, gave the Javelinas an early eight-point edge and they held the lead for much of the first half until, with just under nine minutes remaining, the visitors took off on a 21-6 run that included 10 points from Deshawn Riddick. They rode that momentum into halftime, leading 37-27.
The Hogs quickly attempted to establish momentum in the second half, with Sumpter scoring the first four points, but nine straight Texans points put the ahead by 13. TSU's lead grew as large as 14 before the Javelinas began to claw their way back.
The comeback began with a jumper by a Robert Stevenson, followed by two Jacolby Harris free throws and a Derrick Byrd trey. Josh Hawley tried to stem the tied with a three, but foul shots by Byrd and another bucket by Stevenson moved the home side to within six. They drew to within four when Sumpter hit from downtown tied the game at 54 thanks to buckets by Stevenson and Neal. They teams drew even again, this time at 57 with 4:01 left, but the Texans forged a slim lead when Deshawn Riddick converted two free throws. With under 90 seconds to play, their lead was four. Boleware shrunk it to two with a pair of free throws, making the score 63-61 and setting the stage for the game's frantic finish.
On Sunday, the Javelinas welcome Texas A&M-Commerce to town for a 4 p.m. matchup. 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.
