STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team overcame a 16-point deficit, senior Rashon Thomas (Houston, Texas) piled up 18 points and senior John Mouton (Missouri City, Texas) and junior Jamell Bradley (Converse, Texas) both had double-doubles as the Javelinas outlasted the Tarleton Texans, 76-72, in Lone Star Conference action on Thursday night at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas.
"This was a very rewarding win because it was a culture win," said coach Johnny Estelle. "That means it took everyone believing and trusting in what we are doing daily."
"Tarleton has a good team and they are well-coached on many levels. This has been a difficult place to play over the years, not only for the Javelinas but for many opponents. It is definitely good to get this win for Javelina Nation."
The Javelinas have now matched the eight-game win streak they posted to start the 2017-18 season, which had been their longest since they won 10-in-a-row in 1995-96, and they remain the only undefeated team in LSC play at 6-0. Overall the team is 10-2 and 2-0 in their division. Tarleton is 1-5 in conference and 5-7 overall.
Thomas' 18 points all came off six three-pointers, a career-high in treys for the senior. Mouton's double-double was the second of his Javelina career and consisted of 13 points and 10 rebounds and he also passed out four assists. Bradley recorded 10 and 10. The efforts of Bradley and Mouton helped the Hogs outrebound their hosts, 43-36.
TAMUK also enjoyed a sizable, 16-9 edge in assists, thanks in large part to senior Chauncey Thomas (Plano, Texas), who handed out eight. That total represented both a career-high and the most by a Javelina in a game this season.
Control of the game belonged to the home team for much of the opening half. They used a 7-0 run to jump out to a 14-6 lead, then scored 15 of the next 23 points to build their edge to 29-13, the largest separation between the teams all night.
That difference was cut to 12 before a layup by sophomore Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas) at the 5:35 mark sparked the first Javelina run of the night. TAMUK went on a 13-4 burst, during which time, Avery hit a trey and junior Dayante McClellan (Austin, Texas) scored five points, including a three-point play. Tarleton's Isaiah Range scored the final bucket of the half, sending the teams to the break with TSU ahead, 39-34.
Tarleton seemed as if they were regaining control at the start of the second period, stretching their lead to nine during the first four minutes, but five straight points by the Hogs, three of them on a Rashon Thomas triple, put the Blue and Gold within four and Thomas completed what became a 12-3 run with another long-distance splash, this one tying the score at 54.
Two minutes later, Thomas answered a go-ahead bucket from Isaiah Boling with a lead-grabbing three-pointer. While Randall Brodie immediately answered with two for the Texans, Bradley drained a jumper for a 61-60 Javelina edge and the visitors would never trail again.
The sides continued trading baskets down the stretch until Rashon Thomas hit his final trey of the night with 2:38 to play, upping his team's advantage to 72-66. The Texans crept within two on four free throws, then Bradley supplied an answer with a rim-rocking jam on a put-back. Again TSU went to the charity stripe and this time it was Range pocketing a pair, but again Bradley came through in the clutch. He hit a pair from the line for a four-point lead and one more TAMUK stop was all it took to lock down the win.
The Javelinas will have a chance to continue their winning ways on Saturday, when their schedule takes them to Dallas for a 2 p.m. game against the Dallas Baptist Patriots at the Burg Center. 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.
