KINGSVILLE, Texas – Despite a longer than expected wait for their first contest of 2022, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team will soon be taking the court for the first time in the new year for a pair of matchups with the Texas A&M International Dustdevils, the first one scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. inside the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas, followed by a Monday showdown at 6 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center in Laredo, Texas.
Through the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, the Dustdevils managed only four wins in 42 tries and captured just two Lone Star Conference victories. So far in 2021-22, coach Mac McConnell's club has looked very different, a fact exemplified by the squad's 9-2 record, a mark that includes a season-opening six-game win streak.
Excellent defense and strong work on the glass are two of the main reasons for TAMIU's success in their second season under McConnell. Among LSC teams, only Lubbock Christian averages allowing fewer points per game than the Dustdevils and they also average nearly 17 takeaways per contest, fifth-best in the league. A rebounding margin of plus-5.9 puts them third in the LSC and the Dustdevils have won the rebounding battle in eight of their 11 games.
Offensively, TAMIU has been led by senior Greg Bowie II, who's averaging 15.5 points per game, good enough for eighth in the LSC. He's reached 20 points in four different games, most recently in a win over St. Mary's on Dec. 18th, when he matched his season-high with 21. Bowie is attempting to become the first Dustdevils player to average over 15.0 points per game in a season since Xabier Gomez posted a 16.4 average in the 2018-19 campaign.
The Javelinas closed out 2021 by notching three straight wins and during that streak, they averaged 81 points per game and while topping 75 in three straight contests for the first time this season. One of the things that has helped TAMUK's scoring outburst has been their ability to get to the free throw line, as they've averaged just a shade under 20 points per game from the charity stripe during their win streak.
The Javelina defense has also been on point during their last three games, holding their opponents to a 41 percent clip from the field and forcing an average of 16 turnovers per game. TAMUK continues to own one of the LSC's best turnover margins at 4.60 and they've won the turnover battle in every game but one so far in 2021-22. Their average of 7.7 steals per game is a full point ahead of the 6.5 thefts per game they averaged in 2020-21.
The Blue and Gold offense continues to be led by freshman Derek Luna (Palmview, Texas) and sophomore C.J. Smith (Mansfield, Texas), who combined for 55 points in their team's two road victories before the holiday break. No one on the Javelina roster has knocked down more three-pointers than Luna, who has 28, and he also owns a conference-best .483 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Along with a season-average of 13.5 points per game, Smith's stat line includes 37 assists and 16 steals, both team-highs.
Links to live coverage of both contests can be found on Javelinaathletics.com, where a recap of each game will be published postgame. 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.
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