ABERDEEN, S.D. - The Javelina men's basketball team closed out play in the Dacotah Bank Classic with a resounding 91-63 victory on Saturday over the Golden Eagles of Minnesota Crookston.
"I believe our players wanted to get back to winning the Javelina way today," said head coach Johnny Estelle. " I refer to these types of games as culture games because they test who you are as a player and coach."
The Javelinas (4-2, 0-0 LSC) dominated in all phases in the first half, shooting 22-36 from the field and 9-16 from beyond the arc, while MN Crookston (1-6) shot just 12-25 from the field and 3-11 from three-point range.
Dillon Gooding and Sammy Brooks' lights-out shooting in the first half saw the pair combine to go 7-9 from beyond the arc as the Javelinas would take a 24-point lead into the half.
"We started off really strong shooting the ball which came off really good passing," said Estelle. "We had 15 Ast at half time and ended the game with 21. Our chemistry and defense were on point tonight which lead to many scoring opportunities, as well."
It would be more of the same in the second half, as TAMUK would go on a 12-0 run early in the second half to stretch the lead to 37 and would cruise to the finish line.
TAMUK's highest-scoring output as a team so far this season was spearheaded by the efforts of Dillon Gooding who led the team with 18 points, Sammy Brooks who posted 17, and C.J. Smith who recorded 16 points in the win where the Javelinas never trailed.
"I have always tried to build a team with different talents and parts," said Estelle, " We like to play a lot of guys which gives them an opportunity to learn while the game is in balance... I was extremely proud of everyone's focus & execution tonight."
The Javelina bench would have a stellar night as a group as well, outscoring the Golden Eagles' 48-23 on the night in the win.
UP NEXT
Next week, the Javelinas will open Lone Star Conference play with a pair of road games heading first to San Angelo to play the Rams of Angelo State on Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. before taking on the Falcons of UT Permian Basin on Dec. 3 at 3 p.m.
In regard to the road trip coach Estelle said, "Angelo State & UTPB are two very tough well coached teams. Winning on the road in the LSC is difficult and we will have to prepare and play the right way to have a chance to win."
To keep up with the Javelinas all season long visit javelinaathletics.com to find links to live stats and streaming information as well as a recap at the end of each contest. Fans can learn more about the Javelina men's basketball team 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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