KINGSVILLE, Texas – For the first time since 1995-96, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team locked up their 20th win of the season and clinched the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the Lone Star Conference Tournament with an 82-74 victory over the Tarleton Texans on Saturday afternoon in LSC action at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
The Javelinas' overall record now stands at 20-8, their highest win total under coach Johnny Estelle, who was a player when TAMUK last reached the 20-win benchmark, posting a 23-6 mark under coach Bill Carter. The Hogs' swept TSU for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign and their conference mark now stands at 16-6. Tarleton drops to 13-8 in the LSC and 17-10 overall.
"Like always, it was a team [effort]," said Estelle. "This is a very special group. We've got a lot of good families, which is a huge part of our recruiting process, getting into the home and meeting the families. What won this game was our culture."
"This win was a confidence builder. Sometimes you work hard and might not know if you're achieving anything. Tonight was a night where you see what you're putting in that hard work for."
Season-highs in scoring were set by sophomore Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas), who had 17 points, and junior Dayante McClellan (Austin, Texas), who contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the year. Junior Tre Flowers (Bryan, Texas) also registered 16 points and senior John Mouton (Missouri City, Texas) finished with 10. Another senior, Chauncey Thomas (Plano, Texas) set a season-high in assists with nine.
"We had multiple guys sharing the ball and making the extra pass," said Estelle. "We weren't stagnant and got some easy baskets. When we're on defense, we're trying to be disruptive and create turnovers and get out in the open court. We did that. We're trying to get to the free throw line. We did that. We weren't one dimensional and when we're good, we play that way."
The Javelinas had their best night of the year from beyond the arc, hitting 12-of-23 while shooting 46.7 percent overall. The Hogs also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, tied for their third most this season, and dominated TSU on the glass, 32-20.
The Texans were the first team out of the gate, using consecutive threes to light a spark that led to a 10-2 lead. A three by Avery helped spur the Hogs to their first run of the night, a 7-0 burst to pull the home team within one.
TSU managed to move their lead back out five at 17-12 but TAMUK responded with a 14-4 rally that included a game-tying triple from senior Rashon Thomas (Houston, Texas) and five points from Flowers, who buried the trey that capped the run with 9:03 remaining in the half. The Javs later used threes from Avery and Mouton to build an 8-2 spurt for a 38-30 edge, but Tarleton was able to cut that lead in half and the home team would head to the break holding a 40-36 lead.
After TSU scored first in the second half, consecutive triples by sophomore Will Chayer (Corpus Christi, Texas) and Flowers upped the Hogs' lead to 46-38 and five straight points by McClellan later put TAMUK up nine for the first time, but Tarleton battled back in each instance. Following McClellan's self-made run, the Texans tallied the next six points to climb within three at 51-48.
Another response came from Estelle's charges, this time in the form of a 14-3 stretch in which Thomas buried another three, McClellan converted a three-point play and Flowers hit twice from beyond the arc. The Hogs used this to move out to their first double-digit lead and they eventually went up by as many as 15, which was the difference between the teams after a Daniel Severo (Osasco, Brazil) jumper with 5:01 on the clock.
After Severo's bucket, scores were exchanged, as Randall Broddie hit a three and McClellan layed one in, but TSU then put together a furious comeback attempt. Dexter Johnson hit a three for the visitors, who then turned TAMUK over on their next two possessions and turned those opportunities into six straight points, suddenly pulling the Texans to within 77-72 with 2:28 to play.
Another chance soon came Tarleton's way after Rashon Thomas missed a three, but Chauncey Thomas drew an offensive foul to give the ball back to the home team and Mouton canned a clutch three to reestablish control for TAMUK. McClellan applied the final dagger with one last bucket and the Javelinas had their 20th win.
The next stop for Estelle's Hogs in the LSC Tournament quarterfinals, which will be held on Friday. The Javelinas will play in the day's first game at 12 p.m. against either Dallas Baptist or Oklahoma Christian. Fans can save $15 off the regular price for all-session passes and avoid fees by making an on-campus advance purchase. The all-session ticket grants access to all seven sessions at a reduced rate of $45. The all-session price increases to $60 for those not purchased through LSC schools by March 4. Tickets will be available at the Comerica Center Box Office or through Ticketmaster. Single-session tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students (University students with valid school I.D. (any institution) or children ages 2-18).
Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy. To stay up-to-date with TAMUK men's basketball all year long, follow @JavelinaMBB on Twitter, @Javelinasports on Instagram, like Javelina Men's Basketball on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina Athletics YouTube.
