KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team is preparing to host its first two-game homestand of 2022 and the Javelinas will begin their week at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas by hosting Pack the House night on Thursday, when they'll be tangling with the Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Saturday quarrel with the Oklahoma Christian Eagles that will begin at 4 p.m.
The Javelinas suffered a four-point loss to Texas A&M International the last time they were at home, but bounced back two days later with a 78-65 victory over the Dustdevils. The Hogs were led by sophomore C.J. Smith's (Mansfield, Texas) season-high 24 points, the third time in 2021-22 Smith has reached the 20-point plateau. Junior Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas) also set a season-high in points by tossing in 15 points while swiping three steals.
Another key to TAMUK's win was a turnover count of 10, their third-lowest mark of the season in that statistic. The Hogs continue to own one of the best turnover margins in the Lone Star Conference, with a mark of 4.33 that puts them third in the league. The 16 turnovers they forced on Monday puts their record at a perfect 6-0 when they force more than 15 giveaways.
After a 5-11 campaign in 2020-21, the UAFS Lions have already nearly doubled their win total from a season ago and put together a resume that includes a Dec. 31st upset of No. 3 West Texas A&M. They'll be coming to Kingsville in search of their first-ever win over the Javelinas, who defeated the Lions in their initial meeting in 2019 at the Stubblefield Center, then twice in 2021 at the SPEC.
After earning an All-LSC selection in each of the last two seasons, UAFS senior guard Matthew Wilson in in the midst of his best season yet, posting a conference-best 20.7 points per game. In a win over Western New Mexico on Jan. 13th, Wilson matched his season-high with 32 points to help his team collect a 71-60 win. In three career games against the Blue and Gold, Wilson has averaged 19 points per game.
The last team to beat UAFS was Oklahoma Christian and the Eagles earned that win on road on a night when they had four players score in double figures and held Wilson to only nine points. Unfortunately for OC, that triumph is their only win in their last five tries, as well as their only win away from home all year. In seven road games in 2021-22, the Eagles have averaged only 60 points per game and have yet to reach 65 points in any road contest.
One of the players the Javelinas will have to deal with on Saturday is sophomore Moun'Tae Edmundson, who matched his season-high by pouring in 19 points during his team's win over the Lions. Edmundson is OC's second-leading scorer, has a team-high 45 assists and has knocked down 27 three-pointers, 10 more than anyone else on the OC roster.
Both games can be followed live through Javelinaathletics.com, where links to live video and live stats will be provided and a recap will be posted after each contest. 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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