Kingsville - The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team is in Las Vegas, NV for a pair of weekend matchups against the No.25 Daemen Wildcats (Saturday, 11:00 a.m. CT), and the Tampa Spartans (Sunday, 11:00 a.m. CT) at the D2 Holiday Hoops Classic. 

The Javelinas will look to end 2025 on a high note, with a pair of chances against difficult opponents to grab the first win of their season. Both games will be streamed live on FloCollege and played in the South Point Arena. Kingsville will be the event's first game on both Friday and Saturday, with tipoff set for 9:00 a.m. local time. 

"The best way to improve as a team is to compete against top tier programs," Head Coach Michael Madrid said. "We are excited about the opportunity ahead of us and look forward to turning the corner as a team this weekend."

Since the start of Lone Star Conference play (three games), two returns have stepped up in big ways for Kingsville. Redshirt junior Kaycee Groves (10.0 points per game) and sophomore Addisyn Parker (8.7 points per game) lead the team in scoring in those three games, while Groves adds a team high 5.7 rebounds per game, and Parker paces the squad in three point makes (8).

Scouting the Competition: The No.25 Daemen Wildcats

The Wildcats are off to an excellent start this season, bringing an 8-1 record (4-0 East Coast Conference) into the weekend. The team's only loss came at the hands of No.5 Gannon (57-50). Since that loss, the team has won six straight games, including a ranked win over No.24 Holy Family. 

Daemen leads the ECC by a healthy margin in scoring, putting up 70.9 points per game, while also pacing the conference in defense, holding opponents to just 56.8 points per game. That gives the team an excellent 14.1 average scoring margin, the 32nd-best mark in the nation. The team is also top of the conference in opponent field goal percentage (31.7), opponent three-point percentage (23.8), and forced turnovers (24.6), all of which point to a top-tier defense, which has held each of its opponents this year to 66 points or fewer.

Three forwards, sophomore Ne'veah Buntley, senior Cecilia Lapertosa, and senior Claire Pikett, average double figures for Daemen - Buntley's 16.2 points per game are the third most in the ECC. All three of them also lead the team in rebounding, each averaging at least 5.9 per game, led by Lapertosa's 7.4. 

"Daemen is solid on both ends of the floor," Madrid said. "Defensively, they cause so much havoc and score in transition. We have to be solid with the ball and force them to defend in the halfcourt."

Scouting the Competition: The Tampa Spartans

Facing a difficult slew of ranked teams, the Spartans have gone 5-5 to start their season, and are 1-2 in Sunshine State Conference play. Three of the team's losses, however, have come at the hands of top-25 ranked teams, all of which came in November.

Though the team is middle of the pack when it comes to points scored per game, it leads the SSC in both field goal percentage (48.5), and three-point percentage (40.9). Much like the Javelinas, the Spartans pace their conference in fewest total opponent rebounds, perhaps queuing up a crucial battle on the glass.

While Tampa's -2.45 turnover margin being the third-worst in the SSC, the squad turns the ball over just 13.1 times per game, the third-best in the conference. Sophomore guard Giorgia Palmieri runs that efficient offense, holding a top-five number in the conference in both assists per game (3.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2). Junior center Ryan Franklin and sophomore forward Alanis Diaz make up the team's 1-2 scoring punch, each averaging at least 10 points per game on better than 50% shooting from the field.

"Tampa has an excellent front court and work a lot of high-low, looking to get the ball inside," Madrid said. "We will have to be solid defensively and force contested shots. More importantly, we need to make shots and score better."

Javelina Quick Hitters:

• TAMUK leads the conference on the glass, holding opponents to an LSC-best 29.4 total rebounds per game - its + 1.0 rebound margin is the eighth-best in the LSC
• Since the beginning of conference play, redshirt junior Kaycee Groves has settled into a significant role, leading the team in scoring (10.0 per game), and rebounding (5.3 per game)
• Sophomore forward Thalia Daniels has had a strong start to her career in the blue and gold, averaging the second-most points per game on the team and leading the squad on the glass with 5.9 rebounds per game
• She leads a team effort on the glass, and is one of five different Javelinas who all average at least 3.0 rebounds per game
• Freshman forward Justine Aguilar has been excellent in her first six games of collegiate basketball - is the team's leading scorer despite having not yet started a game for the Javelinas
• The second-winningest Head Coach in program history, Michael Madrid is beginning his seventh year at the helm for the Javelinas just 11 LSC wins from passing Jill Wilson for the most conference wins in program history
• Madrid and the Javelinas are seeking a berth to the LSC Tournament for the second straight year and the fourth time in the last five seasons