DALLAS – Despite an 18-point day from senior Rashon Thomas (Houston, Texas), the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team saw its eight-game win streak snapped at the hands of the No. 15 Dallas Baptist Patriots, who handed the Javelinas a 72-55 setback on Saturday afternoon in Lone Star Conference action at the Berg Center in Dallas, Texas.
The Javelinas dropped to 10-3 overall with a 6-1 LSC record and 2-1 mark in divisional play. DBU is now 12-1, 5-1 in the LSC and 2-1 in the division.
"This is one of the best leagues in the nation," said Coach Johnny Estelle. "With that being said, you have to be ready to play different styles and good coaches and teams every night. All the credit goes to Dallas Baptist. They played well and executed. They're a tough opponent to prepare for and that's a credit to coach Flickner, their staff and their players."
Thomas' 18 points came on 6-of-13 shooting and were just one off the game-high. Senior John Mouton (Missouri City, Texas) reached double figures for the third straight game with 12 points and junior Tre Flowers (Bryan, Texas) added 10. Senior Daniel Severo's (Osasco, Brazil) six rebounds were a team-high and sophomore Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas) handed out three assists.
There wasn't much separation between the teams in first half, with neither side holding a lead of more than five points and DBU owning a 20-18 edge after two Rashon Thomas free throws at the 7:53 mark, but the Patriots then went on the game's first run. Foul shots from Chandler Jacobs and a Carter Brown layup sparked a 15-4 spurt that put the Patriots ahead 35-22 with just over three minutes remaining before halftime.
The Hogs had an answer and it started with a Severo layup. Four points from Tre Flowers were then sandwiched around a Rashon Thomas trey and two foul shots from Thomas capped a stretch of 11 consecutive points for the Blue and Gold. Jonathyn Washington canned a layup for DBU, but Severo responded with one of his own just before the buzzer, slicing the home team's lead to 37-35 at the half.
Severo tallied the first basket of the second half to tie the score, but the next 10 points were scored by the Patriots. The Javs responded with four-in-a-row, including a three courtesy of Thomas, and the teams then traded triples and short, four-point bursts, putting the score at 54-48 with 7:28 to play.
Despite their efforts, the Hogs couldn't get closer than six points. Twice in the last six minutes, Thomas drained shots to bring his team within seven, but the Patriots kept responding with scores of their own. A 12-2 run by DBU finished off the day. The Patriots held the Javelinas to 7-of-28 shooting in the second half and outrebounded their guests, 23-14, over the final 20 minutes.
"We played hard, but not always smart tonight," said Estelle. "We turned the ball over too much and settled for jump shots. We didn't rebound very well as a team, so we didn't get any second chance points. Our desire was there, but our execution and the results of our efforts were not. A special thanks goes to our alumni and the players families that were in attendance today."
TAMUK's first home game of the new year will be on Thursday, when they'll host UT-Tyler at 7:30 p.m. at the Steinke Physical Education 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.
