SAN ANGELO, Texas – Four Javelinas scored in double figures, including junior Tyrese Patterson (Harlem, N.Y.), who had a team-high 14 points, but it wasn't enough for the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team, as they fell to the Angelo State Rams, 83-66, on Friday night at the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center in Lone Star Conference action in San Angelo, Texas.
This marks the first loss of the season for the Javelinas, who are now 2-1, while ASU earned its first win to improve to 1-2.
"We did not shoot the ball well," said coach Johnny Estelle, "and got off to a slow start in all phases of the game. Give credit to ASU for the execution of their game plan. They are a well-coached and talented team that came off two losses last weekend to DBU. They did a good job defending their home court.
"As for the Javelinas, we did not get defensive stops tonight and did not execute on offense."
Patterson's 14 points came on 6-of-10 shooting and he was joined in double-digits by juniors Jordan Wilson (Blytheville, Ark.), who had 13 points, Will Chayer (Corpus Christi, Texas), who finished with 12 and Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas), with 11. Chayer also led the team in rebounds with five.
The Rams wasted no time grabbing the momentum, racing out to an 18-4 lead before the Javelinas scored five of the next seven points to cut their deficit to 11.
Despite the Hogs attempt to rally, ASU would push its first half lead out to as many as 23 before a 7-2 spurt by TAMUK in the final three minutes of the half sent the teams to the break with the score Rams 46, Javelinas 28. The Javelinas were held to 28.8 shooting from the floor in the first 20 minutes, while the home team shot better than 60 percent from the field and hit on 7-of-16 on three-pointers.
For most of the second period, the Rams didn't let the Javs get closer than 17 at 58-41. With under four minutes to play, the visitors put together their best run of the night. A three-point play by Wilson helped spark a 10-2 run, which also included four points from Avery and made the score 76-66. The Rams stopped the Javelina rally there, however, tallying the night's final seven points.
"We were in hurry mode all night and out of rhythm," said Estelle. "We will have to make the proper adjustments and be ready for the challenge tomorrow."
The Javelinas and Rams will be back inside the same arena on Saturday, tiping-off at 5:30 p.m. To stay current with everything related to Javelina men's basketball all year long, follow @JavelinaMBB and @JavelinaSports on Twitter and Instagram, visit Texas A&M University-Kingsville Men's Basketball on Facebook, subscribe to the Javelina Athletics Youtube Channel and visit Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
