KINGSVILLE, Texas - Starting off a four-game home stand, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team took on the Oklahoma Christian Eagles on Thursday night in the Steinke Physical Education Center. Trailing by as much as 13 points, the Javelinas roared back to make it one possession game before two winning shots were rejected as the Eagles escaped with the win, 73-74.
The Javelinas (5-16, LSC 3-13) drop their fourth game in a row. The Eagles (11-11, LSC 8-8) get to .500 on the season as the fight for the final spots in the LSC Tournament.
The Eagles took control early and firmly in the first half, scoring the first field goal of the game and quickly pushing the lead to 12 points within the first five minutes. The Javelina offense finally got going in earnest and gradually chipped down the lead over the course of the half as OCU took only a four point lead to the locker room.
The start of the second half seemed to mirror the first as the Eagles cashed in the first five baskets of the half to extend the lead to 13, their largest of the game. Once more though, the Javelinas showed the resilience that they have all season, roaring back to close the deficit, riding a wave of momentum from the SPEC crowd. The 12-0 run was capped off by an emphatic dunk from
Kendrick Washington off a
C.J. Smith steal, that brought the home crowd to its feet as Smith followed up the next possession with two points of his own to even the score.
Through the final ten minutes of the contest, the two squads traded baskets and small leads. Holding a 73-71 lead with 40 seconds left, the Hogs looked poised for victory, but the Eagles grabbed a layup off an inbound to tie the game as well as a shooting foul on the bucket to take a one-point lead with five seconds left on the clock.
The Hogs had the last shot, trailing by one. The team rushed down the clock and put up two potential game-winning shots, but two clutch blocks from the Eagles kept the Hogs at bay to escape the SPEC with victory.
Jason Clark led the scoring for the Javelinas on the night, riding a streak of good performances, putting up 17 points, an assist, and two rebounds.
Though not leading the scoring, Smith proved the lifeblood of the TAMUK offense once again, finishing with 12 points and coming only one assist away from a double-double with nine. The 5'9" guard was also the top rebounder for the Hogs on the night with seven total boards. Both the rebounding and assist total are new season-highs for Smith.
Washington finished just behind Smith with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, going 2-of-4 from deep. He was also one of four Javelinas with four rebounds as well as an assist and a steal.
Nate Garcia posted a new season-high in scoring with 10 points on the night. He also snagged another season-high in steals with two, tying Smith for the team-high.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas stay home as they take on the Arkansas Fort-Smith Lions on Saturday, Feb. 10 with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
