KINGSVILLE, Texas – Freshman Derek Luna (Palmview, Texas) and sophomore C.J. Smith (Mansfield, Texas) each put up 17 points and the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team fell one point shy of its season-high in scoring while picking up an 88-82 victory over the St. Edward's Hilltoppers on Saturday evening at the Recreation and Athletics Center in Austin, Texas.
The Hogs have now claimed back-to-back victories and own a record of 7-2, while the Hilltoppers stand at 7-4.
"I thought it was a valiant effort," said coach Johnny Estelle. "It wasn't bad. It could be better. I'm always going to be a little critical, but the kids competed and played hard. Overall, I was pleased with the effort. I also want to express my gratitude and say thank you to all the parents and alumni who came out and supported us today."
This makes three straight games scoring in double figures for Smith, for whom 17 points represents his third-highest total of the season. He also contributed four steals and four assists. Luna shot 6-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 on threes, on route to his third-best scoring night of the year. Senior Tre Flowers (Bryan, Texas) hit 4-of-5 from the floor on his way to 10 points.
On the glass, 11 different players contributed to a 39-31 rebounding edge for the Hogs. Seniors Dayante McClellan (Austin, Texas) and Xaiver Armstead (Waco, Texas) each pulled down six boards. The 39 total rebounds are the second-highest single game total for the Javelinas this season.
The first half began with runs on both sides, starting with SEU registering the first seven points, but the Hogs answered with a 10-2 spurt that included treys from Luna and sophomore Jake Majors (Corpus Christi, Texas) and put them in front 10-9.
After the home team gained an 18-12 advantage, Smith hit twice from deep on an 11-2 Blue and Gold burst for a 23-20 edge and the Hogs would never trail again. TAMUK would later lead by as many as six in the first half thanks in part to five straight points by sophomore Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas), but SEU got to within two at 38-36 before the buzzer sounded.
The Javelinas raced out of their locker room after the break and immediately tallied the first nine points of the period to jump ahead by 11. The Hilltoppers were able to cut that deficit to eight, only for the Hogs to respond by scoring 11 of the next 13 points to make the score 60-43 with 12:35 to play.
Three times in the second half, SEU cut their deficit to single digits, but the Javelinas withstood each charge. The first instance came soon after the Hogs went up by 17, when the Hilltoppers cobbled together a 13-4 run, but the Javs responded with eight straight points to push their lead back to 15.
The home team again closed to within seven at 76-69 with 2:57 remained, but then watched six Blue and Gold free throws make the score 82-69. By the time SEU got to within six points, only five seconds remained on the clock and TAMUK ran out the remaining time to clinch the win.
The next stop for the Javelinas is San Antonio, Texas, where they'll play the St. Mary's Rattlers on Monday at 4 p.m. Fans can keep up with Javelina men's basketball throughout the season by following @JavelinaMBB on Twitter and Instagram, liking Texas A&M University-Kingsville Men's Basketball on Facebook, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
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