KINGSVILLE, Texas – Owners of the longest win streak in the Lone Star Conference, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team will put their string of four consecutive triumphs on the line during a weekend in which they'll entertain two LSC opponents at home.
First up for the Hogs will be the MSU Texas Mustangs, who will be in town for a Thursday night matchup with the opening tip set for 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, it will be the Cameron Aggies paying a visit to Kingsville, Texas to take on the Javelinas at 4 p.m. Both contests will be held inside the Steinke Physical Education Center.
All four of the squad's most recent victories have come against LSC opponents, the team's longest win streak in conference play since the 2016-17 season. The most recent win in that streak was, arguably, the toughest, as the Hogs staged their largest comeback in nearly four years, rebounding from a 12-point halftime deficit at UT Permian Basin to snatch an 80-72 win. These four consecutive victories have allowed TAMUK to jump into fourth place in the conference standings, less than three games behind first-place West Texas.
"I think we're coming along," said coach Johnny Estelle, "and that's what we wanted. Last year, I thought we peaked a little early. This year's team in really working hard and meeting our expectations on and off the court. We've improved on our weaknesses. Every team has strengths and weaknesses, but they have a great attitude and spirit about them."
The team's hottest hand over the last two weeks has been freshman Darius Mickens. The Willis, Texas native has scored in double figures in five consecutive games, averaging 14.8 points per game during that stretch. His most impressive performance came on Saturday against UT Permian Basin, when he scored 19 points in the second half, totaling 21 for the game, which represented a new career-high for the freshman.
"We've had guys step up," said Estelle, "and [have] the next-man-up mentality. That's how we run our program from day one. Guys have kept working, no matter if they're playing a little or playing a lot."
Estelle's team has continued to burnish its defensive reputation. The Javelinas have moved into fourth place in Division II in field goal percentage defense, permitting opponents to hit only 38.4 percent of their shots. They also remain in the top 30 nationally in scoring defense and blocked shots per game. The Hogs have held nine opponents under 40 percent shooting this season.
One of the biggest reasons for TAMUK's defensive success has been Robert Stevenson (Houston, Texas). The senior forward is in the top 10 in the LSC in blocked shots and rebounds and helped lead the Blue and Gold back against UTPB, scoring 12 points with 15 rebounds. Stevenson has totaled 13 blocked shots in his last five games, with multiple blocks in each contest.
"Our defense is a team effort," said Stevenson. "Its not just me or our guards. We have to do it together. That's why we've been so successful because it's a collective effort between everybody. We work on that every day."
MSU Texas dropped a 71-70 heartbreaker against Cameron on Jan 15th in the team's first road game in more than a month. The Mustangs will be coming to Kingsville looking for their first road win since mid-November. They're also attempting to start climbing the conference ladder, as they currently sit in ninth in the LSC with record of 2-5 in the league and 6-11 overall, leaving them as the first team out for the LSC Tournament.
Coach Nelson Haggerty will be trying to get his team untracked starting with a matchup against a program from whom they've taken 20 of the last 21 meetings. The only hiccup in that stretch for MSU Texas was a 60-59 loss in Kingsville on Feb. 2nd, 2016. Last season, the Mustangs stole a 72-68 decision in Kingsville before handing TAMUK a 66-44 loss when the teams clashed in Wichita Falls.
The Mustangs do not lack for quality on their roster, as they have players in the conference's top five in points, rebounds and assists per game, led by guard JaJuan Starks and 15.9 points per game, third-best in the league. Forward Thomas Gilbert, Jr. owns the LSC's second-best rebounding average at 8.3 while guard Elijah Lee sits in second place with 74 assists.
The Cameron Aggies, despite having the same record as MSU Texas, are the team currently holding down the No. 8 spot in the LSC, thanks to their win over the Mustangs. Cameron has hung their hat on offense through 17 games and coach Andrew Brown has put together a team that is in the top half of the league in scoring, three-point shooting and free throw shooting. The Aggies also own conference's second-best turnover margin at +3.65.
Guard Tyus Momoh has been the most consistent player for the Black and Gold and he's currently in the top 20 on the conference in scoring, rebounding and assists. Momoh has scored at least 10 points in each of his team's last five games, including 23 on Jan. 5th against A&M-Commerce. He's also accumulated at least five rebounds or assists in 14 of his team's 17 games. He's hit those benchmarks in the same game twice.
Links to live video and stats for each of TAMUK's upcoming home games can be found on Javelinaathletics.com. To keep up with Javelina men's basketball all year long, follow @JavelinaMBB on Twitter and @JavelinaSports on Instagram, like JavelinaMBB on Facebook and visit Javelinaathletics.com.
