KINGSVILLE, Texas – Texas A&M – Kingsville's men's basketball fell in a nail-bitter to Lone Star Conference foe St. Mary's on Saturday by a final score of 62-59.
The loss is the Javelinas' (15-7, 9-4 LSC) first loss in East Divisional play, but they still sit two games clear of the next closest team in St. Edward's.
"I mean, we lost I mean we didn't hit shots and execute," said head coach Johnny Estelle. "We were just out of order today, you know, for whatever reason, but we'll bounce back."
The first half was a defensive battle with both teams shooting only 25 percent from the floor.
Just halfway through the half, back-to-back Isaiah Payne jumpers saw the Javs take a 16-9 lead. Payne led TAMUK in scoring for the first half, with 11 of the team's 22 total points.
St. Mary's answered though, cutting the deficit to just four by the end of the half as Mamady Djikine scored a layup for the Rattlers with one second remaining, bringing the score to 22-18, TAMUK.
Offense picked up for both teams in the second half, with the two teams trading baskets for much of the half. The Rattlers, however, got hot and went on a 7-0 run a little over midway through the half.
StMU got its lead to nine, the largest of the game with just under five minutes remaining with the score 54-45.
Kingsville, cut into that lead quickly with a three-pointer from Marcus Jones-Green, and over the next three minutes the Rattler lead was cut down to just three with two minutes remaining.
With 23 seconds remaining, Payne sunk a pair of free throws to keep the deficit at three. TAMUK then fouled StMU's Jalon Johnson with just over 8 seconds remaining sending him to the line. Johnson missed both as the Javs gained the rebound, but C.J. Smith's running three-point attempt from about 40 feet clanged off the rim as the Rattlers won, 62-59.
For the game, the Javelinas shot only 27 percent from the floor and only 4-of-27 from beyond the arc.
The Rattlers shot a field goal percentage of 42 percent and outscored the Javelinas in the paint by a margin of 30-22.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas now prepare for a two game road trip next week facing Oklahoma Christian and Arkansas Fort Smith on Feb. 2 and 4.
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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