KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team concluded the 2019 portion of their schedule in a position they hadn't been in since the 1995-96 season: reaching 5-0 to begin their Lone Star Conference schedule, the only team left in the conference with a perfect league record. The Javelinas are also on a seven-game win streak and own a 9-2 overall record as they prepare to turn the calendar over.
To maintain this momentum, the Javs will be required to negotiate their way past two conference foes who await their arrival. The first team on the docket is the Tarleton Texans, who will entertain the Hogs on Thursday inside Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas, a game that will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, TAMUK will face-off will the Dallas Baptist Patriots at 2 p.m. at the Burg Center in Dallas.
TAMUK has put together its best start in conference play in 24 years due to its usual strong defense, as well as an opportunistic and efficient offense steadied by point guards Chauncey Thomas (Plano, Texas) and Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas). Thomas and Avery have combined for 56 assists and helped lead an attack that's reached 80 points in three straight games for the first time since 2014-15. They've also been at the center of one of the nation's most proficient teams, as the Hogs are averaging the second-fewest turnovers per game in the conference and their turnover margin of 5.2 puts them 18th in Division II.
The 67.3 points per game allowed by TAMUK is one-tenth of a point behind St. Edward's for the best mark in the conference and coach Johnny Estelle hasn't seen his team allow more than 75 points since Nov. 16th, a streak that's encompassed the team's entire seven-game win streak. In their win over the Falcons, Estelle's squad held a team with a scoring averaging over 90 to 51 and a 31.4 shooting percentage.
The Texans carry with them a defensive pedigree of their own, centered around the 2019 LSC Defensive Player of the Year, forward Josh Hawley. Once again, Hawley ranks among the conference leaders in blocks and rebounds, as well as points and at one point in the season, the senior from Irving registered seven consecutive double-doubles. He has reached that benchmark nine times this year, his most recent such performance came on Dec. 21st against A&M-Commerce. Hawley's 14 points and 11 rebounds helped the Texans slip past the Lions 94-91 for TSU's first LSC win in 2019-20.
This will be the 67th meeting between these two programs and Tarleton owns a 43-23 advantage in the series. The Texans have been on the right side of each of their last five matchups against TAMUK, four of which have been decided by single digits. TAMUK will be attempting to knock off TSU for the first time since they upset the then-No. 9 Texans on Jan. 7th, 2017.
The Javelinas have no such history with DBU, which will be hosting the Hogs for the first time on Saturday. The Patriots are battling with TAMUK and SEU for the top spot in their division of the LSC, thanks to a 10-1 overall record and a 4-1 conference mark. The only blemish on their conference resume is a 102-78 loss to A&M-Commerce on Dec. 19th, but they rebounded by topping UT Tyler two days later. Their meeting with the Javs will the last in a string of six straight home games for a team that has gone 56-9 at home dating back to the start of 2015.
The Patriots have established themselves as one of the conference's most well-rounded teams, as they own spots in the LSC's top 5 in scoring average and points allowed and are third in scoring margin. Guard Chandler Jacobs, a first-team all-conference selection a year ago, has remained the team's most formidable presence, with an average of 16.2 points per game that puts him in the LSC's top 10. Jacobs has three 20-point games to his credit this season, with a season-high of 28 against Colorado Christian in the season opener. He also had 21 in his team's victory over UT-Tyler.
Links to complete coverage of both games, including live video and recap after the final buzzer, can be found on Javelinaathletics.com. 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.
