CANYON, Texas – Four different players scored in double figures, but the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team couldn't avoid an 87-78 setback, suffered at the hands of the West Texas A&M Buffaloes in Lone Star Conference action on Thursday night at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas.
Despite this loss, which drops the Javelinas to 14-9 overall and 5-7 in the LSC, TAMUK has officially clinched a spot in the conference tournament. The Hogs are locked into the tourney's No. 12 seed and are currently slated to play Texas A&M-Commerce on Feb. 1st.
Sophomore C.J. Smith (Mansfield, Texas) topped TAMUK's list of scorers by totaling 15 points and he was also credited with three assists. Junior Sammy Brooks (Dallas, Texas) hit 5-of-10 from the field, 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and set a season-high with 13 points.
Junior Will Chayer (Corpus Christi, Texas) had a night that included 11 points, four rebounds, three blocked shots, two assists and a steal. Junior Jordan Wilson (Blytheville, Ark.) also scored 11 points and collected four rebounds.
WT held the lead for much of the first half, at one point opening up a 21-15 advantage, but the Javs cut their deficit to one by scoring seven of the next nine points, a stretch that started with a trey from Chayer. Moments later, a pair of foul shots from Smith and a Brooks triple thrust TAMUK in front 27-25.
The teams spent most of the rest of the period exchanging scores and a layup courtesy of Chayer knotted the score at 34 in the final minute of the half. After the Javs got the ball back, Smith tossed in one more bucket before the buzzer and the Hogs headed to halftime ahead, 36-34.
The second half started with baskets by both teams, but the Buffs soon started a 12-2 run that put them ahead, 48-41, and despite the Javelinas' best efforts, they couldn't get the lead back. Seven times over the final 16 minutes, the Javs made it a one possession game, but they were unable to find a way to make the play needed to even the score. A 10-0 run by WT late in the half built a 12-point lead that proved insurmountable.
The Javelinas have one more game on their regular season schedule, a 4 p.m. matchup with the Cameron Aggies on Saturday. 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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