KINGSVILLE, Texas – Texas A&M-Kingsville's men's basketball team got a much needed home win Thursday night, sliding past the visiting Midwestern State, 74-71.
The win came after the Javelinas (18-9, 12-7 LSC) spent two weeks in a row on the road before tonight's game.
Dillon Gooding led the team offensively posting 19 points in the win followed by Isaiah Payne who recorded all 13 of his points in the second half going a perfect 6-of-6 from the field in the second half.
"You know anytime you can win this late in this conference it's a big win," said head coach Johnny Estelle. "We responded to the challenge and got production out of a lot of guys and I think that depth was key tonight."
The depth of the Hogs was on full display tonight , outscoring the Mustangs in bench points, 39-9.
Both teams shot the ball well on the night with TAMUK shooting 28-of-58 (48%) from the field while the Mustangs were only a small margin behind shooting 24-of-58 (41%) on the game.
The Mustangs (10-15, 8-12 LSC) controlled the game early, leading for most of the first half with the MSU growing to 10 points at one point.
The Javs responded though cutting into the deficit and had a chance to tie on a what looked to be a routine layup for Gooding that was missed before a three-pointer stretched the MSU lead to five at the break, 40-35.
In the second half, the depth of the Javelinas showed looking much fresher and more aggressive as the game went on, including a stretch where TAMUK forced 5 MSU turnovers on six possessions.
The Hogs grabbed the lead early in the second half on one of Payne's six field goals and would not look back.
MSU did keep things close throughout the half, cutting the deficit to three with under thirty seconds to go, but clutch free throws from senior Will Chayer and Gooding secured the win late for the Javs.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas welcome the Aggies of Cameron to the SPEC on Saturday at 3 p.m. for Senior Day.
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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