KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team finished the regular season by winning five of its final seven games and that strong finished earned the Javelinas a spot in the Lone Star Conference Tournament and a date with the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. inside the Field House in Commerce, Texas.
The leading scorers for the Javelinas over their last seven games have been their top two points guards, sophomore C.J. Smith (Mansfield, Texas) and junior Creighton Avery (Corpus Christi, Texas). Smith has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 11 games, reaching 20 points in three of those contests. He ended the regular season with a 20-point day against Cameron in which he set a season-high with six three-pointers and shot 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Avery has averaged 13.4 points per game and shot better than 50 percent from the floor in his last five and his 20 assists over TAMUK's last seven matchups is a team-high. So far in 2021-22, the Hogs own a 6-1 record when Avery scores in double figures and they're 9-2 when he finishes with more assists than turnovers. In the opening round of the 2021 LSC Tournament, his career-high 32 points keyed a Javelina win over Angelo State.
TAMUK's defense has also been major component of their recent run of success, as they've limited their last seven opponents to an average of 67.7 points per game and 40 percent shooting from the floor. The Javelinas have been on the plus side in rebounding margin and turnover margin as well. The only area where the opposition has found success against the Javelina defense of late is getting to the free throw, as TAMUK's last seven opponents have averaged taking more than 20 foul shots per game.
The challenge for TAMUK's defense on Tuesday will be trying to put the clamps on one of the best shooting teams in the LSC. The Lions own the conference's third-best shooting percentage and have the second-best mark on three-pointers. TAMUC has shot better than 50 percent from beyond the arc five times in 2021-22, including in their season-ending victory over UT Permian Basin.
No one has drained more triples for the Lions than senior Jarius Roberson, whose hit 75, including 35 in his last nine games. Roberson is also his team's leading scorer over that stretch and one of four Lions averaging in double figures in scoring.
To keep up with all the action on Tuesday night, visit Javelinaathletics.com, where there will links to live video and stats and postgame recap after the final buzzer. 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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