AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team eliminated a 15-point, second half deficit, but couldn't put the finishing touches on their rousing comeback, suffering a 73-64 defeat to the No. 6 St. Edward's Hilltoppers in Lone Star Conference action on Thursday night at the Recreation and Convocation Center in Austin, Texas.
TAMUK is now 8-2 in the LSC and 2-2 in their division, while their overall record drops to 12-4. The Hilltoppers improve to 15-1 with a 9-1 conference mark and they are 2-0 in their pod.
"It was a tale of two halves," said coach Johnny Estelle. "We didn't execute very well in the first half and it's hard to come back from a 13-point deficit on the road against the No. 6 team in the nation. St. Edward's has a good team and all the credit goes to coach Cook, his staff and players. When we finally settled down and played to our potential, we had a chance to win the game."
Senior Rashon Thomas (Houston, Texas) matched his career-high with 23 points, the third time he's hit that benchmark as a Javelina. Thomas was 7-of-11 from the floor, 4-of-7 from three and knocked down all five of his free throw attempts. Fellow senior Chauncey Thomas (Plano, Texas) posted a new season-high of 15 points.
Another fourth-year player, John Mouton (Missouri City, Texas) was credited with a team-best four assists. Junior Dayante McClellan (Austin, Texas) led the Javelinas on the glass with nine rebounds.
TAMUK's relentless comeback started with 14:25 left in the second half when Rashon Thomas sank two free throws to make the score 50-38. Following a free throw for the Hilltoppers, Thomas bookended a Tre Flowers (Bryan, Texas) layup with a pair of treys, bringing his team within five. Dorian Lopez then completed a four-point play for SEU to put their lead at 55-46, but the Hogs kept coming.
Each side tacked on three points before the Javelinas scored four-in-a-row. Two from Jake Krafka temporarily restored order for the Hilltoppers, but Rashon Thomas came back with his own four-point play and tied the game 15 seconds later with a layup. When senior Daniel Severo (Osasco, Brazil) completed TAMUK's next possession with a layup, the visitors had their first lead of the night with 5:04 to play.
Unfortunately for the Javs, Severo's bucket would be their final made basket of the night. The visitors were 0-for-5 from the floor over the game's final five minutes and SEU would use a 13-2 run to collect their ninth consecutive win.
"I'm proud of our team and how they stepped up and responded," said Estelle. "This team has proven that they are competitors all year and I believe they will learn from this and bounce back. A special thank you to the parents, family members, fans and alumni that attended tonight's game. It was a great crowd and a demonstration of Javelina pride."
The Javelinas' road trip continues on Saturday, when they'll visit Bill Greehy Arena in San Antonio for a 4 p.m. matchup against St. Mary's. 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.
