Tyler - Despite out-scoring its host in each of the final three quarters, the Texas A&M - Kingsville women's basketball team lost a hard-fought battle with the No.6 UT-Tyler Patriots in Tyler, 61-54.
Kingsville trailed by 15 points after the first quarter and, though an impassioned comeback attempt pulled the team within one possession late in the game, that deficit proved too large to overcome. The loss puts an end to a five game win streak for the Javelinas, who are now 15-9 overall and 11-7 in Lone Star Conference play.
"I thought we came out of the locker room with a better sense of urgency," Head Coach
Michael Madrid said. "Tyler hit some tough, contested shots in that first quarter and I thought offensively we didn't do a good job playing together."
Redshirt sophomore forward
Kaycee Groves led the way for Kingsville, posting the second double-double of her career (and her second in a row), with 19 points and 12 rebounds. She went 3-of-6 from three and added three assists and two steals. Junior forward
Shelby Ray joined her in double figures with 10 points to go along with five rebounds, while junior guard
Aina Maynou led the team in assists with five as well as eight points and four rebounds.
TAMUK scored just nine points in the first quarter while shooting 4-of-16 from the field, meanwhile the Patriots made six of the nine threes they took in the first frame. The Javelinas actually scored fewer points in the second than they did in the first (8), but clamped down defensively, holding their hosts to just seven on 3-of-13 shooting.
The game changed the second the Javelinas touched the court in the second half, however, as they tore off on a 12-2 run on four made threes - two each from Maynou and Groves - early in the third. Groves was instrumental for the Javs' comeback, as she scored 16 of her 19 on this side of halftime. Similarly, eight of Ray's 10 were scored after the half.
"Kaycee took advantage of opportunities and put together another solid game," Madrid said. "Shelby had a solid outing as well. We need to get offensive production from our bench and be more balanced overall."
The team continued to light it up offensively, shooting a blazing 70% from the field in the third quarter, followed by 58.3% in the fourth. TAMUK whittled the Patriots' lead down to as low as three and stayed within three possessions for nearly the entire second half. Timely shot making and good defense down the stretch from the home team, however, proved enough for the sixth-ranked team in the land to squeeze out a win.
"We have another tough matchup Saturday but this is why you choose to play in the LSC," Madrid said. "You find out a lot about yourself when you play the best. Looking forward to the opportunity to play against the best."
The Javelinas must now prepare for an equally difficult foe, as the No.2 Texas Woman's Pioneers host them for a 2 p.m. bout on Saturday. As Kingsville looks to rebound, you can watch the game - which will tip off an hour later than the usual Saturday time of 1 p.m. - on FloSports or follow along with the live stats or on social media @Javelinawbb.
