KINGSVILLE, Texas – For the first time since the 2004-05 season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team is off to a 3-0 start in Lone Star Conference play and the Javelinas will be attempting to keep that perfect record intact as they take the court for their final two games of 2019, both of which will be at home inside the friendly confines of the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
The first team the Hogs will welcome to the SPEC is the UT Permian Basin Falcons, who'll tip-off against TAMUK on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Saturday's showdown will begin at 4 p.m. and pit the Javs against the Western New Mexico Mustangs.
"I want us to continue to play well," said coach Johnny Estelle. "We didn't play particularly well in the first half of the last game, but we played a Javelina brand of basketball in the second half. We've fine-tuned some things this week. We expect to be very ready to compete and continue to build on the success we've had so far.
The Javelinas' first three conference games were all on the road, but victories over Oklahoma Christian Arkansas-Fort Smith and Texas A&M International have allowed Johnny Estelle's group to get off to the program's best start in conference play in more than a decade. Victories over UTPB and WNMU would put the Hogs at 5-0 in the LSC, a mark they haven't reached since the 1995-96 campaign.
The most obvious reason for the team's hot start in LSC competition has been the lights-out play of senior Rashon Thomas (Houston, Texas). In his team's three conference matchups, Thomas has averaged 19.3 points per game and he's drained 12 three-pointers. Those stats put him sixth and tied for the second in the league, respectively. Against the Dustdevils, Thomas poured in 23, matching his highest point total as a Javelina and leading the squad in scoring for the fourth time. Overall, the senior from Houston has topped 15 points in four of his last five games and owns a scoring average of 16.2 over that stretch.
Thomas and his teammates will start their week by taking on one of the most offensively minded teams in the nation in UTPB (10-2, 3-0). The Falcons' average of 93.1 points per game ranks in the top 15 in Division II and they've scored at least 80 points every time out in 2019-20. They'll come to Kingsville riding a 10-game win streak, having not lost since Nov. 2nd.
The man who's played the most prominent role in UTPB's offensive onslaught is Boise State transfer Pat Dembley. His 263 total points lead the LSC and his scoring average stands at 21.9. In his team's conference opener, Dembley went off on WNMU for 42 points, the highest single-game point total in the conference this year. His season has also included a pair of double-doubles. He passed out 12 assists to go with 31 points against McMurry on Nov. 26th, then dropped 24 on Sul Ross State on Dec. 7th while grabbing 10 rebounds and narrowly missing a triple-double when he finished with eight dimes. Dembley's mark of 5.4 assists per game has him in fourth-place in the conference.
"The first thing you have to do," coach Estelle, "is evaluate your strengths against their weaknesses and your weaknesses against their strengths. They're more offensive-minded then we are. We're a little bit more defensive-minded. Its going to be a contrast of styles."
The success that UTPB has enjoyed so far this year has not been shared by Western New Mexico (2-7, 1-2), but the Mustangs broke a four-game losing streak on Saturday with an overtime win at the expense of Midwestern State. WNMU will take on A&M International on Thursday before coming to Kingsville in search of their first-ever win over the Javelinas, who've defeated the Mustangs in each of their previous six meetings.
Atlanta native Elijah Holifield has been the straw that stirs the drink for interim coach Matt Enriquez through nine games this season. Holifield started the season with 24 points against Fort Lewis and has reached double figures in that statistic in each of his last five games. That streak began when he put up 22 against the University of the Southwest in a 91-77 triumph for the Mustangs on Nov. 15th. Two weeks later, he put together a 13-point, nine rebound performance against Notre Dame de Namur. His average of 14.3 points per game leads WNMU.
Be sure to tune in to both games via links on Javelinaathletics.com, which will give fans access to live video and live stats. After the final buzzer, check back in for the postgame recap. Stay current with TAMUK men's basketball throughout the 2019-20 season by following @JavelinaMBB and @JavelinaSports on Twitter and Instagram, liking Javelina Men's Basketball on Facebook and subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
