KINGSVILLE, Texas – Twice the Javelinas looked like they were down and out, and twice the Javelinas found a way back from the brink, ultimately leaving their first Lone Star Conference matchup of 2024 with an overtime win over St. Mary's, 80-78.
With the result, the Javelinas (3-8, LSC 1-5) picked up their elusive first conference win of the season. The Rattlers (5-6, LSC 1-4) dropped their fourth conference game in a row.
After the Rattlers jumped out to an early lead quickly after the tipoff, the Javelina offense got going, taking their first lead of the game a little less than four minutes into the game, 7-5. The Hogs would remain in control for the rest of the first half, keeping the lead the entire way to the locker room.
The second half is where the action would really kick off. A quick 5-0 run to open the second half saw the Rattlers regain for the first time since early in the contest. A flurry of baskets followed as the two squads traded ties and one-possession leads, standing tied 50-50 with just under 10 minutes left in regulation.
As the Rattlers took a four-point lead with 2:28 remaining, both teams seemed to finally cool down, unable to find the basket until St. Mary's managed to push their lead to six as the clock ticked under 60 seconds. However, as the Javelinas have shown many times this season, they were not about to go down without one last fight.
Kendrick Washington immediately answered with a three-pointer, but the Rattlers responded right back with another layup to hold a five-point lead with 30 seconds left. The Hogs fired from behind the arc once again, this time from
C.J. Smith and the lead stood at two. A wave sub brought the Javelina defensive group onto the floor for an all-out full court press to attempt to force a decisive turnover to give the Hogs one last chance.
The minutes long sequence that took 15 seconds off the clock finally bore fruit as
Nate Garcia knocked away a long pass back into Javelina hands with just seconds remaining.
Andre Walker II drove the lane and put up what would be the game-tying layup, but the ball rimmed out. However,
Ke'Andre Jones was right there for insurance, emphatically slamming the ball in on the putback to send the contest to overtime, 65-65.
The hard fought, back-and-forth affair would continue into the overtime period as St. Mary's put the first points on the board, but TAMUK picked up where they left off and answered right back. The Rattlers managed to carry a five-point lead into the final minute once more before
Allen Singleton sunk a warmup for what was about to come.
Trailing by three with under 30 seconds left in the overtime period, Smith went a perfect 2-of-2 from the free throw line to make it a one-point game, 77-78. The Javelinas forced a turnover once more for one last chance, but the go-ahead basket was off target as the Rattlers pounced on the rebound and forced a foul with only 2.9 seconds remaining.
However, both free throws were off the mark, keeping the lead at one with barely enough time for one final heave.
Zyon Little quickly grabbed the loose ball and fed it to Singleton, who let off a prayer from behind half court as the buzzer sounded. The shot found the sweet spot on the backboard and then the bottom of the net to give the Javelinas their first LSC win of the season, 80-78.
Singleton finished the game with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and going 2-of-3 from deep, including the game winner. He also grabbed three rebounds and a second team-highest five assists.
Jason Clark put up the most points on the stat sheet on a night where four Javelinas totaled double digit points and nine Javelinas scored at least one bucket. Clark racked up 17 points alongside four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Smith proved a vital spark for the Javelina offense once again, finishing just behind Clark with 16 points to his name and leading the team in assists with six. He also continues his streak of consecutive games with a steal, adding one more to his total.
Washington turned in an impressive performance as well, putting up 15 points, going 5-of-12 from behind the arc. He also grabbed five rebounds and two assists.
Freshman
Zyon Little continues to put up great performances, finishing the night with seven points, three assists, and a team-leading six total rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas take the floor of the SPEC once more on Saturday as they take on the St. Edward's Hilltoppers at 3 p.m. The game will also be Community Night.
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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