KINGSVILLE, Texas – In a contest that included nearly 60 fouls, the Angelo State Rams carved out a 75-65 victory over the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
"It was a hard fought game," said coach Johnny Estelle. "We didn't play up to, probably, our potential all the way through, offensively and defensively, but I thought the kids didn't quit. They battled. We just have to keep getting better."
Neither team reached 40 percent shooting in a physical contest that saw the Hogs finish at 39.3 percent, while holding their visitors to 31. The Rams pulled down 49 rebounds to TAMUK's 33 while the Javs forced 19 turnovers, collected 17 and also got 41 points from their bench.
Freshman Darius Mickens (Willis, Texas) led the Javelinas (4-7, 0-3) in scoring with 13, hitting 6-of-12 shots and also collecting three steals. Senior Jacolby Harris (Delray, Fla.) contributed 10 points.
An evenly played first half saw the teams trade baskets for the first nine minutes until the score read 10-10. The Rams (9-3, 2-1) took the first lead of more than two points at the 10:56 mark on a three courtesy of Antonio Singleton and a free throw pushed that edge to four.
Sophomore Jamell Bradley (Converse, Texas) responded with a three-point play, but a few minutes later, Singleton swished a three, making the score 19-14.
After ASU's lead reached six, TAMUK used a 6-0 burst capped by a Bradley jumper to draw even. After a free throw by junior Daniel Severo (Osasco, Brazil) slid the Hogs into the lead, an 11-3 Rams run put the visitors up 32-26 into halftime. The stretch included six points from Valentine Sangoyomi and a Ronald Bell three.
Both defenses were on point during the first 20 minutes, as the Javelinas held their visitors to 30 percent shooting from the field compared to TAMUK's mark of 37 percent. The Rams outrebounded their hosts, 26-19, including 12 offensive boards.
A triple by Daron Mims on the opening possession of the second half quickly jumpstarted ASU's offense and, after a TAMUK free throw and an exchange of layups, consecutive jumpers by the Rams put them up 40-29, the first double-digit lead of the game.
Two scores by senior Robert Stevenson (Houston, Texas) sandwiched around a Paul Williams basket were followed by an ASU foul shot and a trey from Williams for a 13-point advantage.
The Ram lead grew as large as 15 before the Hogs, with the help of a 6-0 burst that included two buckets in-a-row by Mickens, cut the deficit to eight with 11:18 to play, but the Hogs were seldom able to get much closer.
With 5:45 to play, a three-point play by Harris moved to within seven before a three-point play by ASU restored the lead to double figures for the final time. A quick three-point play by Bell bumped the lead up to 10 and that was the closest TAMUK would get for the rest of the day.
Another home test awaits for TAMUK on Thursday, when they'll take on West Texas at 7:30 p.m. To stay up-to-date with TAMUK men's basketball all season, follow @JavelinaMBB on Twitter, @Javelinasports on Instagram, like Javelina Men's Basketball on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel.
