KINGSVILLE, Texas - A rematch of the Lone Star Conference tournament semifinals was on tap for the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team as they opened LSC conference play for the 2023-24 season against the Angelo State Rams in the Steinke Physical Education Center on Thursday night. Regulation was not enough to decide the contest on Faculty Appreciation Night as the Hogs fell in overtime to ASU, 81-85.
The result is the Javelinas' (2-4, LSC 0-1) first loss in the SPEC this season in their first of two games on the week. The Rams (4-1, LSC 1-0) pick up their third win in a row, not counting an exhibition loss to North Texas their last time out.
"I can't be more proud of how hard our guys battled and how hard they played," said head coach
Omar Gonzalez in the postgame press conference, "It was just whoever had the ball at the end of the game and we missed two open looks, but I can't be more proud and couldn't have asked more from our guys tonight."
Angelo State took control early in a low-scoring first half after a back-and-forth battle through the first five minutes. The teams traded the lead until the Rams jumped out to a 19-10 lead at the halfway point of the half after going on a 12-2 run. The Javelinas brought the deficit down to two with a small run of their own before the Rams took control once more, extending the lead to as much as 11 points entering the final minute of the half. A free throw and a jumper from
C.J. Smith in the final two possessions kept the lead within single digits heading into the break, 33-25.
The second half was be a battle between the two squads as the Javelinas came out firing, cutting the lead to just one point four minutes into the half. From there, the teams would trade baskets back and forth with the Javelinas not able to quite take the lead, but ASU being unable to extend theirs beyond five points.
As the clock ticked close to 10 minutes in regulation, the Hogs would finally find their first lead since early in the game off back-to-back buckets from
Isaiah Payne. The basket trading would continue once more with the Javelinas similarly unable to extend their lead further than five points. Angelo State would regain the lead as five minutes were left on the clock in the half, pushing it once more to five points entering the final minute of regulation.
The Hogs would not go down without a fight.
Kavon Booker nailed a jumper in the paint with 18 seconds remaining to make it a one possession game. A personal foul would send the Rams to the line for a one-and-one with 14 seconds remaining with a chance to try to seal the game, but missed the first free throw to keep the lead at three.
Dillon Gooding pounced on the rebound and pushed the ball up the court as the clock ticked below 10 seconds. Booker would come through once more for the Hogs, draining a three-pointer on a kickout from Smith to tie the game, 71-71, and send it to overtime as a desperation heave from ASU found the shot clock above the backboard rather than the basket.
The Javelinas would find the scoreboard first in the overtime period on free throws from Booker and
Zyon Little as both teams found themselves in foul difficulties. ASU fired back, taking the lead off a shot from behind the arc with 2:19 remaining in OT. They would quickly push the lead to six points within 30 seconds. The Hogs would keep fighting to the end once again, tying the game again at 80-80 with less than :45 remaining in the period.
The Rams found the final advantage however, sinking a free throw to take a one-point lead then taking advantage of an empty Javelina position to make the lead three. From there, the Rams would sink their free throws off the TAMUK intentional fouls to keep their lead to close out the game.
Five Javelinas scored in double digits on the night with Smith and Payne leading the team at 15 points each. Smith also lead the squad in assists, racking up a whopping nine alongside two rebounds and two steals.
Similarly, Booker lead the Hogs in rebounding with nine boards, totaling 13 points of his own as well.
Marcus Jones-Green lead the team defensively with four steals and picking up a rebound as well.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas are back in action on Saturday, December 2 as they welcome the UT Permian Basin Falcons to the SPEC for the second match-up of the conference-opening weekend. It will also be Ring Night as last year's LSC Division champion squad are awarded their rings prior to tip-off, scheduled for 3 p.m.
