SAN ANGELO, Texas – Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team dropped its Lone Star Conference opener to Angelo State by a final score of 86-74 on Saturday night.
"We definitely did not play our best game today," said head coach Johnny Estelle. "Give Angelo credit for their part in making that happen. Winning on the road in this league is difficult and challenging. We have to regroup and get back to playing like Javelinas."
The loss drops the Javelinas to a 4-3 record on the season and 0-1 in conference play while the Rams advance to 4-1 on the season and 1-0 in the conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The looked as if it would be a nip-and-tuck affair early on as the two teams traded the lead multiple times, and with five minutes remaining in the first half the Rams held a slender 29-27 lead.
The Javelinas would go cold from the field though only making three more field goals from the field as the Rams would stretch their lead to seven by the end of the half.
TAMUK would cut into the deficit several times including getting it down to only one at 57-56 at the 9:16 mark.
Senior guard Creighton Avery shouldered the offensive effort in the second half leading the team with 12 points, but as a team the Javelinas struggled including shooting only 1-6 from beyond the arc in the second half.
Despite their best efforts, the Hogs would be unable to close the gap, as the Rams controlled the pace of play for much of the half en route to their victory.
WHO LED THE WAY
Avery led the Javelinas offensively shooting 8-13 from the field and 5-6 from the line posting a season high 22 points in the game.
"Creighton has been playing championship basketball for a long time," said Estelle. "He has a unique ability to score the ball in a variety of ways and plays with a calm demeanor. He gave us a chance to win with his competitive heart and leadership."
For the Rams, Kevon Godwin led the way posting 31 total points while going 10-18 from the field including 5-8 from three-point range.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas will now travel to Odessa, Texas to take on UT Permian Basin on Saturday at 3 p.m.
"The message is simple, win," said Estelle about the message to the team going forward. "There is no secret message. We have to get back to guarding and finishing out possessions... understanding time and score and who we are."
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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