KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team will have their Lone Star Conference home opener doubleheader beginning against No. 24 West Texas A&M on Thursday for Graduate Appreciation night at 7:30 p.m. and then Lubbock Christian at 3 p.m. on Saturday for Deck the SPEC/Toys for Tots.
The Javelinas (5-3, 1-1 LSC), enter the two games after opening Lone Star Conference play on the road last week against Angelo State and Texas Permian Basin. The Javelinas split the two road games, falling to the Rams, 86-74 before bouncing back last Saturday with a 73-63 win over the Falcons.
Thursday, will mark the first meeting between the Javelinas and LSC preseason favorite Buffs since the two programs met on March 6, 2022, in the Lone Star Conference Tournament title game which saw WT come away with a 77-70 win and conference title.
Saturday's matchup with the Chaps will be TAMUK and LCU's first meeting since the Javelinas knocked out the then No. 1 seeded Chaps in the Lone Star Conference Tournament.
Fans are encouraged to bring a toy to Saturday's game to donate to Toys for Tots, as all those who bring a donation will receive free admission.
WATCH & FOLLOW
Fans can follow all the action by following @JavelinaMBB on Twitter, live stats on JavelinaAthletics.com, and can watch the action on the Lone Star Digital Network.
SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES
No. 24 West Texas (4-2, 2-0 LSC) comes to Kingsville riding a 4-0 win streak with recent wins over LSC foes Arkansas Fort Smith and Oklahoma Christian last week.
The Buffs boast a Lone Star Conference-leading offense that is averaging 85.5 points per game this season, winning by an average margin of 10 points. The Buffs also lead the LSC in three pointers made per game averaging 10.8 a game this season.
Leading the Buffs offensively is senior guard Julius Brown who is currently averaging 17.3 points per game followed by Larry Wise with 16.4 points per game, and Damion Thornton with 15 points per game.
Junior guard Zach Toussaint also leads the LSC in three-pointers made and three-point filed goal percentage shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc this season.
SCOUTING THE CHAPS
The Chaps (4-2, 2-0 LSC) will come to the SPEC coming off back-to-back LSC wins including a narrow 70-68 overtime victory over Oklahoma Christian.
LCU currently leads the LSC in scoring defense this season and is ranked 16th in all of Division II.
The Chaps are led offensively by Rowan Mackenzie who is currently averaging 18.8 points per game this season which is fourth highest in the LSC. Mackenzie is also fifth in the LSC in assists per game with an average of 3.8 this season.
Mackenzie is also third in the LSC in steals per game with 2.17.
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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