KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team is set to host a pair of Lone Star Conference matchups at the Steinke Physical Education Center this week, as they take on the St. Edwards Hilltoppers in a Gold Rush contest, Thursday at 7 p.m., before battling the St. Mary's Rattlers at 4 p.m. on Saturday while donning throwback uniforms.
The week begins with a faceoff against coach Andre Cook's Hilltoppers, the team that knocked the Javelinas out of the LSC tournament in March of last year. The 2021-22 campaign has SEU even at 10-10, going 4-6 in league play. Last week, Cook's crew needed three overtime periods to best Western New Mexico, 111-108, before falling to West Texas 82-77 in their own backyard.
The Toppers' have two players averaging double-digit scoring figures, including Daniel Venzant, who averages 18.7 PPG, which ranks second in the LSC. Venzant also leads SEU in assists per game at 4.3, the fifth-best average across the league. As a team, nobody shoots from beyond the arc more than SEU as they lead the LSC in shots and makes from beyond the arc, going 196-580 for a 33.8 percent clip.
The Rattler's have been on a roll as of late, winning their last six LSC contests, maintaining a 6-1 mark in league play that places them second in the standings, behind a 7-0 Lubbock Christian team. Their only conference loss of the season came on Jan. 5, as they fell to DBU 82-72, and their last win was a nail-biting 100-98 victory over a nationally ranked West Texas team.
StMU is one of the best defensive teams around, averaging 3.7 blocks a game, and have one of the league's most prolific passers in Kobe Magee, who sits second in the LSC at 5.3 assists per game. Additionally, the Rattlers have an incredibly versatile athlete in Taylor Carson, who leads the team in both points per game at 12.1 and rebounds at 6.5 per game.
The Javelinas are coming off a pair of road losses against A&M-Commerce and UT Tyler, placing them 10-6 overall and 1-4 in the LSC. Despite being unable to snag a victory, several Blue and Gold athletes delivered strong performances over the week, including sophomore Jake Majors (Corpus Christi, Texas), who set a new career-high in points, going 6-8 from beyond the arc for 24 points against the Patriots. Additionally, freshman Marcus Jones (Cheneyville, La.) averaged 11.5 points per game on the road, scoring 11 against TAMUC and 12 at UTT.
To keep up with all the action from both games, visit Javelinaathletics.com, where links can be found to live stats and live video, as well as a recap at the end of 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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