KINGSVILLE, Texas - Rebounding struggles continued for the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team in a tale of two halves on Saturday afternoon in the SPEC as the Javelinas fell to UT Permian Basin in their final home game of 2023, 77-87.
The loss leaves the Javelinas (2-4, LSC 0-2) empty-handed handed on the week, dropping both of their games. UT Permian Basin (5-2, LSC 1-1) get back on track after Texas A&M International ended a four-game win streak on Thursday.
The Hogs got off to a quick start as
C.J. Smith nailed two three-pointers to start off his scoring in the opening minutes of the game. UTPB quickly evened the game up before both teams went cold after the quick start, with the Javelinas being the first time to finally reach double digits at the 13:07 mark in the first half. From there, the scoring opened up as the game was evened once more at 20-20 just past the halfway point in the half.
The Javelinas took control in the closing minutes of the first half thanks to two more jumpers from Smith as well as a four-point play from
Marcus Jones-Green. The Hogs put together a 14-5 run over the final 4:03 in the half to take a nine-point lead to the locker room.
The second half was a different story for TAMUK as the Falcons were the ones coming out firing, quickly cutting the lead to three within the first 2:00 of the half. The Hogs regained their footing shortly after, pushing the lead back up to eight three minutes later. UTPB came storming back once more, however, regaining the lead at the 13:38 mark, 44-43. The two teams traded the lead over the next few possessions before the Falcons gained the advantage just before the halfway point of the second half, regaining the lead and quickly extending it seven after back-to-back three pointers.
The Falcons never relinquished the lead again after that point, as the Javelinas kept the deficit manageable for the rest of the game but could never get a decisive run of their own going to cut the lead to less than five.
Rebounding proved the vital difference between the two squads as the Javelinas were dominated on the boards, losing the rebound battle 18-to-39, including a 4-to-12 difference on the offensive glass leading to a 10-3 second-chance point advantage for UTPB. The total was the lowest amount on the season for the Hogs as they are being outrebounded by their opponents by a -12.6 per game margin.
Smith put up a career-high 27 points on the night, going 11-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Smith's previous career-high was 26 points against Angelo State on February 10 during the 2021-22 season. He also added a team-high four steals on the defensive end alongside an assist and two rebounds.
Kendrick Washington and
Dillon Gooding finished with double digit points as well at 12 at 11 respectively. Gooding tied Smith with four steals, also sharing top assisting honors with
Allen Singleton at three. Washington lead the team in rebounding with five boards.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas get a break for finals week before a three game road trip to close out 2023, starting with defending conference champions West Texas A&M on Sunday, December 10 with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
