Alpine - Behind great play from its seniors and a dominant day on the glass, the Texas A&M - Kingsville women's basketball team beat Sul Ross St., 56-50, on the road to snap a three-game losing streak and get back above .500 in Lone Star Conference play.
The Javelinas held the Lobos to 26.8% shooting from the field and just 20% from three and beat them on the glass by a 22-rebound margin. It was Kingsville's seventh conference win (7-6), and the team is now 11-8 overall on the season.
"I thought defensively we were good in spots," Head Coach
Michael Madrid said. "They also missed a lot of wide open shots. We weren't very good handling the ball and passing the ball today. Majority of our turnovers were self-inflicted. We need to continue to improve in all aspects individually and collectively. Road wins are tough in this conference and we will take this one and build on it."
The team got contributions from everywhere, with every Javelina scoring and grabbing a rebound in the game and eight different players tallying a made field goal. Upperclassmen led the way, with all three of the team's senior having stellar days. Senior forward
Janessa Payne scored a team-high 15 points to go along with a season-high 10 rebounds to put together her first career double-double. Senior guard
Abby Bala dished out a career-high seven assists to go along with 10 points, four rebounds, a block, and a steal, while senior forward
Veyda Lake tallied eight points on 4-of-6 shooting as well as four rebounds and a steal.
"Our seniors did a solid job today doing different things," Madrid said. "Janessa made herself available around the glass. Abby did a tremendous job leading, finding her teammates and Veyda continues to be her consistent self around the rim."
Redshirt sophomore
Kaycee Groves and freshman
Jordyn Hernandez each added career highs in rebounds, with 10 and nine respectively. Groves also had three assists, two blocks, and a steal while Hernandez added two assists, a block, and a steal. They contributed to a phenomenal effort on the glass, as Kingsville brought down 49 rebounds, holding SRS to just 27. They also won the offensive rebounding battle 14-8.
"We have been emphasizing offensive rebounding and we did a much better job creating extra possessions," Madrid said. "Most importantly, we need it to carry over week after week."
Though the Lobos kept the score close for much of the game, TAMUK led for 34 of the 40 minutes, and built a double-digit lead midway through the fourth quarter, using back-to-back buckets, a triple from freshman
Addisyn Parker and a layup from Payne, as well as good defense, to secure the win. Kingsville allowed just six Lobo points in the final frame.
The team will now return home for a pair of key LSC matchups, beginning on Thursday with a 5:30 showdown with St. Edwards on Pack the House night.
