Kingsville - Riding a five-game win streak, the Texas A&M - Kingsville women's basketball team has a pair of top-10 ranked teams on the docket this weekend, starting with a Thursday-night bout with the No.7 University of Texas at Tyler Patriots.

The streak has Kingsville seven games above .500 and sitting in the fifth spot in the Lone Star Conference with a strong hold on a Conference Tournament bid. The team has five games left on its regular-season schedule, two on the road this weekend before three at home to close the year. Three of the remaining teams are ranked in the top 15 in the nation in D2.

"Our preparation started back in September," Head Coach Michael Madrid said. "Every day that we have had an opportunity to work with our team, we were preparing for conference games. This isn't about this weekend more than it's about our body of work all year up to this point."

The Javelinas' win streak is the fourth-longest in the conference and marks the second time since 2009-10 that the team has posted multiple win streaks of four or more games in the same season. Every game on the current streak has seen Kingsville hold its opponent to 52 points or below and under 40% shooting from the field. That defense is indicative to the incredible play the team has produced on that side of the ball all year - they bring the 15th-best scoring defense in the nation into Thursday's matchup.

Offensively, balance continues to define the team, with no single player ranking in the top 20 on the scoring list in the LSC. The team has had a different leading scorer in each of the last three games, with redshirt sophomore Kaycee Groves' 17-point double-double, and junior Shelby Ray's 19 points leading the Javelinas in its most recent win, a 68-51 win over Cameron in Oklahoma.

Their opponents bring a 13-game win streak, which includes a two-point win over TAMUK in Kingsville on January 18th, into the matchup. They have lost just one LSC game all year, and have been in only one game decided by single-digit points since the two teams last faced off.

"Having the ability to watch clips from our previous game helps," Madrid said. "I'm sure there will be some slight adjustments both ways but at the end of the day, we have to defend, rebound, and execute offensively."

On paper, the showdown will be a defensive battle, as Tyler brings in the third-best defense by field goal percentage in the nation, while also touting the seventh-best scoring defense and the 12th-best three-point-percentage defense. Kingsville is one of only two opponents this calendar year that has topped 60 points in a single game against the Patriots.

Junior guard Meagan Mendazona leads the team in both scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, the seventh-most in the LSC, while also shooting 46.1% from the field, the 11th-best mark in the conference.

The game is set to tip off at 5 p.m., NOT the usual time of 5:30 p.m - fans can watch the game live on FloCollege, or follow along with the live stats or on social media at javelinawbb.

"We have to take advantage of opportunities," Madrid said. "This time of year the window is small and we talk to our players about that. Take what the defense gives you, see plays happening in advance and be shot-ready on the catch."