DALLAS, Texas - The Javelinas came out firing in both halves, but a deluge of turnovers choked off the chances of a comeback as the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team fell to No.4 Dallas Baptist in the Burg Center, 68-97.
The Javelinas (3-12, LSC 1-9) drop their fourth in a row. The Patriots (14-1, LSC 8-1) continue to stand at the top of the East Division standings.
Both teams put on good showings to open the game as the Javelinas jumped out to a 10-4 lead, but the Patriots closed the gap quickly, taking their first lead of the game with 14:40 on the clock in the half and never looking back.
Trailing 17 coming out of the break, the Javelinas started the second half red hot, cutting the lead to six within the first five minutes. However, turnovers reared their ugly head and cut the Hog comeback short as the Patriots pulled away once more and cruised to victory.
Turnovers were the story of the night for both teams, as the Javelinas finished with 29 turnovers while the Patriots finished with 20. However, the major difference between the two squads came in points off turnovers. The Hogs failed to take advantage of many of their opportunities while the Patriots seized theirs, outscoring TAMUK in turnover points, 36-17.
Zyon Little put up the most points on the scoresheet for the Javelinas as the freshman continues to impress in his debut season. Little finished with 14 points while also grabbing the second-most rebounds on the team with six alongside two assists.
Little also shared team-leading steal honors with
C.J. Smith as both grabbed three steals on the night. Smith totaled 11 points in the contest and led the Javelinas in assists with three. He continues to lead the conference in steals and sits in the top 100 in the nation.
Kendrick Washington was the final Javelina to finish in double-digit scoring with 12 points, shooting 3-of-9 beyond the arc while also leading the team in rebounds with eight total boards.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas make the short drive east to Tyler, Texas to take on UT Tyler. The Patriots are coming off of a 52-72 loss to TAMIU. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20.
