KINGSVILLE, Texas - The Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team faced a tall task in an Eastern New Mexico roster with a notable height advantage on Saturday afternoon. The Hogs gave the Greyhounds all they could handle a more in the fourth game in a row in the SPEC that came down to the final possession but came up just short, 86-87.
The loss snaps a two-game win streak for the Javelinas (5-13, LSC 3-10). The Greyhounds (12-6, LSC 8-4) get back in the win column after a loss to TAMIU on Thursday.
Eastern New Mexico took good advantage of the height difference, including a 7'3" center in Conrad Luczynski, outscoring the Javelinas in the paint, 48-26. However, the Hogs leveled the playing field from behind the arc, shooting an impressive 13-of-30 from deep compared to only seven three-pointers from the Greyhounds. Neither team could gain a notable advantage over the other on the defensive end in a high-scoring battle, with both squads having less then 10 turnovers and only a marginal difference in rebounding.
The Greyhounds held a solid lead through much of the first half and the start of the second. Javelina resiliency shined through once again, however, coming back from as much as a 12 point deficit in the second half and even briefly gaining the lead with around five minutes remaining. For the fourth time in a row and the fifth time overall this season at home, the game came down to the final shots.Â
Trailing by one with under 10 seconds remaining, the Javelinas forced a Greyhound turnover on the inbound to give themselves a chance at the win. Unfortunately, this time the two go-ahead shot attempts were off target as the Greyhounds just barely escaped the SPEC with the win.
Both teams were impressive from the field, with the Hogs shooting 30-of-66 on the afternoon as well as going 13-of-15 from the charity stripe. The Javelina bench also contributed in a big way, outscoring the Greyhound bench, 25-13.
C.J. Smith exploded once again for the Javelinas, finishing the afternoon with 28 points while also leading the squad in assists with five. This is the sixth game this season that he has put up more than 20 points. Additionally, Smith pulled down an impressive five rebounds for the 5'9" guard and shot 4-of-9 from behind the arc. He also continues his streak of steals, grabbing one in the second half to lead to an
Allen Singleton jumper.
Singleton had an impressive afternoon himself, racking up 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He also finished just behind Smith with four assists and three rebounds.
Zyon Little put up a great performance as well as the freshman continues to impress. Little finished with 14 points, two rebounds, and an assist.
Jordan Henderson had a huge game on defense, putting up a monster four blocks and a steal. He also put up five rebounds, six points, and an assist.
Kendrick Washington put in work on the defensive end too, getting two blocks and a steal of his own while leading the team in rebounding with seven.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas are back on the road as they face round two against St. Mary's and St. Edward's. The Hogs take on St. Edward's on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and St. Mary's on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 3 p.m.
Follow the Javelinas all season long by visiting javelinaathletics.com to find links to live stats and streaming information as well as a recap at the end of each contest. To keep up-to-date with Javelina Men's Basketball, follow the program on Facebook /JavelinaMBB or on X @JavelinaMBB. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network.
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