KINGSVILLE, Texas – It was a thriller from start to finish, as Texas A&M-Kingsville (15-6, 9-4 LSC) knocked off Lone Star Conference rival St. Edward's in overtime on Thursday night, 77-73.
The win gives TAMUK a three-game advantage over St. Edward's in the East Division and sole possession of third place in the Lone Star Conference.
The game featured 12 total lead changes while also being tied 8 times throughout the 45 minutes of play between the two teams that always find themselves in close, hard-fought battles.
TAMUK's 8-0 run over the last 2:24 in the overtime period sealed the win for the Javelinas with senior Creighton Avery converting a driving go-ahead layup with just under a minute remaining.
In what seemed like an eternity before that though, the Javelinas found themselves trailing by 14 points with five minutes remaining in the first half, 33-19.
TAMUK however, answered the challenge going on a 14-2 run to close the half capped off by an emphatic dunk by Kavon Booker cutting the deficit to only two at 35-33.
After an early score by the Hilltoppers to open the half, the Javelinas went on a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the game since early in the first half.
The game saw seven lead changes in the second half, with TAMUK holding on to a narrow 67-66 lead with 1:15 remaining.
St. Ed's best free throw shooter Jeff Gary ended up on the line with 39 seconds remaining but only managed to make one to tie the game at 67 all.
C.J. Smith's last second shot for the win fell anticlimactically as a wedged ball with the game heading to overtime.
The Hilltoppers jumped out to a 73-69 advantage in the overtime period, before the previously mentioned 8-0 run to close the game, as following Avery's layup the Javelinas defended two St. Ed's attempts to win and tie the game as Marcus Jones-Green snagged a rebound and drew a foul following a Hilltopper missed jumper from the lane securing the win for TAMUK.
Junior guard, Dillon Gooding led the Javelinas offensively posting a game high 16 points followed by C.J. Smith and Isaiah Payne who both scored 13 in the winning effort.
The Javs' also shot 23-of-29 from the charity stripe compared to St. Ed's 9-of-13.
UP NEXT
On Saturday, TAMUK welcomes the Rattlers of St. Mary's to the SPEC with tip off set for 3 p.m.
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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