KINGSVILLE, Texas – Texas A&M-Kingsville's men's basketball team clinched the Lone Star Conference East Division title on Thursday night defeating Texas A&M-International, 71-68.
With the win, the Javelinas secured the division title with one regular season game remaining and the number two overall seed at the Lone Star Conference Tournament.
Free throws proved to be the difference in the game as the Javelinas shot more from the line then they did the field with a season-high 45 shots from the charity stripe converting on 39 of them in the game good for 86.7 percent while only going 14-of-44 from the field in the division clinching win.
"Oh man, this is paramount. I can't tell you how much this means," said head coach Johnny Estelle after the win. "To be able to do it here in front of our fans, some of the most beloved people that's been so instrumental in my life that's invested not only just in my life, but my family and in these kids' lives to show and give them an opportunity to see what it looks like is amazing."
Dillon Gooding led the team offensively posting a season-high 25 points, going 16-of-17 from the line with several coming down the stretch to help seal the win along with Isaiah Payne and Kavon Booker who also recorded double-digit outings with 11 and 10 points respectively.
The Javelinas jumped out to an early lead in the game behind 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc while gong 14-of-17 from the line in the first half to build a 32-23 lead at the halftime break.
The Dustdevils did not go quietly though, storming back in the second half to pull within one at the 11:13 mark in the second half as a Greg Bowie II layup made the score 45-44.
The lead did not grow to double digits again in the game as both teams struggled from the field, but the Javs aggressive mindset in getting to the basket saw them get to the line consistently as three TAMIU players fouled out late.
Following a TAMIU three to cut the Javelina lead to two, Gooding and Booker combined to hit four clutch free throws with under 30 seconds remaining padding the lead as a last second heave from beyond halfcourt for TAMIU fell short.
The Javelinas will now close out the regular season on Saturday with a rematch against the Dustdevils in Laredo at 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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