KINGSVILLE, Texas – Three Javelinas scored in double figures, including junior Jamell Bradley (Converse, Texas) with a team-high 13, and the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team outfought the UT Tyler Patriots, 67-59, on Thursday night in Lone Star Conference action at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
"I thought we defended as a team, not bad but better," said coach Johnny Estelle. "We made some improvements there. They run some very difficult unorthodox stuff that's very tough to guard. I thought we rebounded the ball very well tonight, which was really big for us."
Bradley's 13 points matched a season-high and he also pulled down six rebounds. Only senior John Mouton (Missouri City, Texas) had more with 11. Sophomore Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas) also matched his season-high with 10 and senior Chauncey Thomas (Plano, Texas) put up 10 points as well with three assists. Mouton was matched that total with three assists while scoring eight points.
A quick 7-2 lead belonged to the Javelinas before the Patriots strung together a 13-3 run for a 15-10 advantage. The Javelinas tied the score four times after that, only to see UTT answer each, but then the Hogs strung together a run of their own to tie it and move in front.
The rally started with a game-tying triple courtesy of sophomore Will Chayer (Corpus Christi, Texas), who added two free throws soon after. Those five points lit the fuse for a 13-0 run in which Chayer scored seven points and Mouton contributed four. Trailing 32-22, the Patriots scored the final four points of the period to get within six before the halftime buzzer.
The home team quickly upped their lead to 10 in the second half before UTT scored five straight to get within 38-33. TAMUK increased its edge back to eight soon after, but UTT 6-0 burst put them within two points of a tie at 45-43 with 10:49 to play.
Bradley then used a three-point play to steady the ship for the Hogs and the Javelinas found answers in two more instances in which the Patriots made it a one-score game. The last gasp from UTT came on a 7-2 spurt, capped by a Bradley Mason trey with 6:29 remaining to pull the visitors to within 56-54. The next seven points were all scored by TAMUK, however, five of them by Bradley, giving the home side the lead they needed to salt away the win.
Another test comes the Javelinas' way on Saturday, when they'll battle the A&M-Commerce Lions in a game with a 4 p.m. tip-off at the SPEC. 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.
