Kingsville - Despite a late run from the visiting Bulldogs, the Javelina women's basketball team held on for a 71-65 exhibition win over Texas Lutheran on Friday.

Even following the 11-0 run from the Bulldogs in the game's closing minutes, Kingsville led for all but the first 43 seconds of gametime, and did just enough to get a win in the team's final contest of 2024.

Senior forward Janessa Payne led the team in scoring with 14 points, including 4-of-7 shooting from outside. She also added four rebounds, one of seven different Javelinas to have at least four. Sophomore forward Kaycee Groves led the team in that department, collecting nine boards and stuffing the stat sheet with seven points, four assists, and three steals.

Much like the rebounding, the Javelinas scoring was done by committee, with seven different players tallying at least seven points. Nine different Javelinas made a field goal in the game and all 10 on the roster scored in the contest.

Their opponents, the Division III Bulldogs, came into the matchup 5-2 in regular-season play and near the top of their conference in rebounding, scoring defense, and forced turnovers. While Kingsville won the rebounding battle by a healthy margin of nine, the Bulldogs held the home team to 42% shooting from the field and forced them to turn the ball over 19 times. 

Despite some early struggles, TAMUK was blazing from beyond the arc, shooting 40% from beyond the long line, including 6-of-9 combined between the second and third quarters. That built Kingsville a buffer which, along with a clutch late bucket from junior forward Shelby Ray, keyed the team to its win.

The Javelinas will be back in action on January 3rd, when they kick off the new year with a matchup in San Antonio against St. Mary's at 5:30 p.m.. Read Full Article