FORT SMITH, Ark. – Senior Rashon Thomas (Houston, Texas) scored 15 points over the final seven minutes and helped the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team complete a comeback from a 13-point first-half deficit en route to 66-61 victory over the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions on Saturday evening in Lone Star Conference action at the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith, Ark.
The Javelinas have now started 2-0 in LSC play for the second time since the 2007-08 season and they are 4-2 overall. The Lions suffered their first loss of the year, falling to 1-1 in conference and 4-1 on the season.
"For the first time this year," said coach Johnny Estelle, "I thought we collectively played closer to the Javelina defensive brand. It was a great team effort by our guys and the seniors displayed the necessary leadership, toughness and confidence that propelled us to victory.
"I am especially proud of Rashon Thomas, Chauncey Thomas and John Mouton. John gave us a much-needed spark in the first half that continued throughout the game. Chauncey ran our team and played with poise."
Thomas' 19-point night comes just two days after he put up 16 in a victory over Oklahoma Christian. He hit 4-of-6 on three-point attempts against UAFS and has now made eight of his last 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
"Even through everyone contributed," said Estelle, "the MVP tonight was clearly Rashon. He played a complete game and showed the confidence of an all-conference player on offense. He made some incredible shots at key moments, but his defense was also at championship level."
Junior Jamell Bradley (Converse, Texas) recorded his second-highest point total as a Javelina with 13. Another junior, Dayante McClellan (Austin, Texas), continued to dominate on the glass with a game-high eight rebounds and senior John Mouton (Missouri City, Texas) passed out four assists.
The home team controlled the action early, scoring the night's first nine points and later using an 11-2 run to go ahead 24-11 to with 7:47 to play.
The Lions' lead was pushed back to 13 following a Matthew Wilson jumper with 5:25 on the clock, but that's when the Javs made their move. A Thomas triple lit the fuse as TAMUK tallied 10 straight points to get within three. The Lions tried to reestablish control with four straight points, but the Hogs responded in kind. Senior Daniel Severo (Osasco, Brazil) and Bradley each hit shots to count the final points of the half and the score read Lions 32, Javelinas 29 as the halftime buzzer sounded.
A three courtesy of junior Tre Flowers (Bryan, Texas) immediately tied the game to start the second half, but the Lions quickly moved back out to a four-point lead. TAMUK went in front for the first time with 14:59 remaining, thanks to consecutive jumpers from Bradley. The lead changed hands twice before an 8-3 burst allowed the Lions to gain another edge, 47-43.
The UAFS lead went back and forth between one and two possession margins before a Mouton layup put it back at two at 55-53. The sides then exchanged leads on a Thomas trey and a Brian Halmus layup at 3:39 in the period.
Thomas soon added another three with 2:36 left, only for Matthew Wilson to tie the score from the charity stripe at 59 with 65 seconds on the clock. Undeterred, Thomas' splashed his fourth triple of the night and it proved to be a blow too great for the home team to recover from. The Hogs forced a missed three and a turnover on the Lions' next two possessions and senior Chauncey Thomas (Plano, Texas) tacked on three free throws to help ice his team's second straight win.
"UAFS is a well-coached team with really good players," said Estelle. "It was hard to prepare for their system and style of basketball in one day. We have to get better at shooting and with our offensive execution at times, but the heart and will to win mentality is in this team and that makes me proud to be their coach."
The Javelinas won't be back in action again until the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 29th, when they host CSU-Pueblo at 7 p.m. at the Steinke Physical Education Center. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy. To stay up-to-date with TAMUK men's basketball all year long, follow @JavelinaMBB on Twitter, @Javelinasports on Instagram, like Javelina Men's Basketball on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina Athletics YouTube.
