KINGSVILLE, Texas – Sparked by a 32-8 run to close out the first half, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team wiped away an early 14-point hole to notch a 65-53 victory over the MSU Texas Mustangs on Thursday night in Lone Star Conference action at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
The was the largest Javelina comeback during the Johnny Estelle era and marked the third time this season TAMUK has won a game after trailing by more than 10 points.
"It was ugly, but we'll take an ugly win any day," said Estelle. "Wins are hard to come by in this league. We just have to continue to work hard and get one percent better every day. These kids are working at a high level, believing and trusting each other and playing hard for their school. That's all that I care about."
Freshman Darius Mickens (Willis, Texas) led all players with 14 points and also collected a game-high four steals. Senior Alex Mills (Laurens, S.C.), one of the catalysts for the Javelinas' (9-7, 5-3) first half run, tossed in 11, converting five of his six attempts from the free throw line.
MSU Texas (6-12, 2-6) immediately seized the initiative at the outset, racing out to 16-2 lead in seven-plus minutes. With the score at 4-2, Bishop Coulter hit a jumper and JaJuan Starks and Gilbert Thomas each added buckets to make the score 10-2. Baskets from Elijah Lee, Coulter and two Jared Evans free throws followed to give MSU Texas a seemingly secure 14-point advantage.
TAMUK's electric rally started innocently enough with two free throws by Mills. The senior then drained a three and, following a layup by Terrell Wilson, sophomore Jamell Bradley (Converse, Texas) converted a tip-in. Mickens proceeded contribute consecutive scores, the second bucket coming on a rim-rocking jam off of a steal to make the score 18-13.
Senior Jacolby Harris (Delray, Fla.) drew the Hogs within one by canning a triple and the Javs took their first lead thanks to a John Mouton (Missouri City, Texas) put-back.
Two minutes later, with the score tied at 20, Mills hit three consecutive free throws. Mouton followed that with a layup and Mills proceeded to add another trey for an eight-point edge. The Hogs took their first double digit lead on a Chauncey Thomas (Plano, Texas) bucket, which was quickly followed by two more from Bradley. Four straight points brought the Mustangs within eight, but Mickens finished the period with a buzzer-beating jumper, sending the teams to half with TAMUK up, 34-24.
The Hogs picked up right they left off in the second half, with a jumper courtesy of freshman Will Chayer (Corpus Christi, Texas) and a Harris layup pushing the Javelina lead to 14. The next eight points went to the Mustangs and the visitors later got as close at five points during a stretch that saw them score outscore their hosts 16-7, making the score 45-40 with 11 minutes left.
The Javelinas used the seven-and-a-half minutes that followed to salt away the triumph that pushed their win streak to five. A dunk by Mouton sparked the Hogs to score six straight. The Mustangs answered with consecutive jumpers, only to see the Javs tally eight of the game's next nine points, building their largest lead of the night at 59-45.
A last gasp by Midwestern State consisted of eight points in-a-row, putting them down by only six, before Chayer supplied the dagger with his team's fourth and final trey of the night. Three Chauncey Thomas free throws supplied the night's final points.
The Javelinas owned the glass all night, grabbing 40 rebounds, including 18 offensive boards, compared to MSU's 33. Estelle saw his team turn those second chances into 17 points. TAMUK also forced 19 turnovers, which they converted into 21 points. The bench was good for 38 points for the Blue and Gold.
The Mustangs did outshoot the Javelinas from the floor, hitting 42.9 percent of the their shots while the Hogs shot 32.3, but TAMUK enjoyed a considerable advantage from the charity stripe, hitting 21-of-31. MSU only shot 15 free throws, making nine.
Saturday brings with it another home challenge for the Hogs in the form a matchup against the Cameron Aggies, which will start at 4 p.m. 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.
