SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team fought back from a 10-point deficit, but couldn't hold off a late charge from the Angelo State Rams, suffering an 80-73 loss on Thursday night in Lone Star Conference action at Stephens Arena at the Junell Center in San Angelo, Texas.
"It was a tough loss against a good team on the road," said coach Johnny Estelle. "We have to learn how to finish games better. I'm proud of the team and how they fought, but we have to play smarter at times collectively."
TAMUK was not without its stars in defeat. Sophomore Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas) set a season-high with 16 points, hitting 5-of-8 shots from the floor and all five of his free throw attempts. Tre Flowers (Bryan, Texas) kept his team afloat in the first half, scoring all 15 of his points over the first 20 minutes. Senior Daniel Severo (Osasco, Brazil) hit 5-of-6 and reached double figures in points for the fifth time this season with 12. Sophomore Will Chayer (Corpus Christi, Texas) outpaced everyone on the glass with 13 rebounds.
The teams spent much of the game's early minutes exchanging baskets, but a 9-0 run put ASU ahead 13-7 and they'd hold the lead for the rest of the half. The next six points were scored by TAMUK, four courtesy of Avery, tying things at 13.
ASU responded by putting up 14 of the next 18 points for the night's first double-digit lead, 27-17. TAMUK got within two a couple times, only to have the home team push their edge back out to 10, this time 37-27. Four points from Flowers helped TAMUK rally to within three points late in the period, but a last-second trey by Kendrick Washington allowed the Rams to head for halftime ahead, 42-36.
The Hogs gave themselves a chance by starting fast in the second half, using an early 7-2 burst to close to within 46-45. Moments later, they took off on a 14-3 run, fueled almost entirely by Avery. He accounted for 10 of his team's 14 points during that stretch as the Javelinas went ahead 59-51 with 10:58 remaining.
The Hog lead was 63-55 with 9:41 on the clock, but Angelo wouldn't let the Javs break the game open and gradually erased the lead. They tallied five straight points to get within three and, after TAMUK went up 67-62, scored six-in-a-row to move back in front.
Two Rashon Thomas (Houston, Texas) foul shots gave the lead back to the Blue and Gold with 4:43 on the clock and several empty possessions followed before Collin Turner sank two from the charity stripe, then buried a triple with just over two minutes on the clock for a 73-69 edge. TAMUK twice made it a one-possession game again, but they couldn't find the bucket they needed to tie the game. An 0-for-11 drought from the floor over the game's final seven minutes ultimately proved to be the Javs' undoing.
The teams were about even in shooting and rebounding, but TAMUK held a 30-11 edge in bench points and outscored their hosts by 10 in points in the paint. ASU's biggest edge came from beyond the arc, where they shot 40 percent and held the Javelinas to 5-of-24.
"We had some bright spots," said Estelle, "with Creighton Avery, Daniel Severo, Tre Flowers and Chauncey Thomas, but it was not enough. We'll have to regroup and get ready to play LCU on Saturday."
The next destination for Estelle's Javelinas is Lubbock, Texas, where they'll be pitted against the Lubbock Christian Chaparrals at 3 p.m. on Saturday. 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.
