Frisco - March Madness is here and in full effect, as the Texas A&M - Kingsville women's basketball team upset No.5 UT-Tyler, 65-56, to advance to the Lone Star Conference Tournament Semifinals.
A total team effort offensively, led by junior forward
Shelby Ray's double-double, and senior guard
Abby Bala's 15 points and five assists, combined with incredible team defense led to the program's first LSC Tournament win since 2016-17.
"We have a sign that hangs in our lockerroom that reads we play for March, and that's one of the things that we talk about all the time, we want to be one of the teams that's playing in March," Head Coach
Michael Madrid said. "A tremendous effort by our team, I thought that we defended extremely well for the most part all game long."
Kingsville's defense was stellar from start to finish, holding the Patriots to just 35.6% shooting from the field and 19.2% from three. Thanks to that defense, the Javelinas were never outscored in a quarter all game.
Bala and Ray each had 15 points, shooting a combined 11-of-20 from the floor. As it has all year long, however, the team found a well-orchestrated balance offensively. Two others, junior guard
Aina Maynou and senior forward
Veyda Lake, each also scored in double figures, Maynou had 11 while Lake had 10. Lake also added a career-high five assists and a season-high seven rebounds. Freshman forward
Jordyn Hernandez added eight points, including a pair of triples, and six rebounds off the bench.
To complement that balance, the team moved the ball extremely well, with four players, led by Bala and Lake, collecting at least three assists in the game. Additionally, the Javelinas shot the ball extremely well, knocking in 11 of their 20 shots, including making three of five from distance in the final frame to seal the game.
"We do a solid job as a staff recruiting really good shooters," Madrid said. "We build their confidence levels, we talk to them all the time about 'hey, every time it leaves your hand, it's going in, own your shot.' I thought today, we shot it extremely well, but you know, we've shot it pretty well all year long, I think we've been in the top three or four in the conference in field-goal and three-point percentage."
The game started in favor of the Patriots, who opened up an early 7-2 lead after the opening tip. Kingville answered in a big way, though, closing the first frame on a 15-7 run highlighted by three threes, including a pair from Bala.
"I think coming out of that timeout, it was just intensity," Bala said. "You know, we had to pick it up on both ends of the floor. It starts on defense, so if we start by getting a stop, that energy will carry on to offense, and we were just able to knock down shots."
The Javelinas then settled into the game, opening up a double-digit second quarter lead before a UT-Tyler run brought the game to within a possession with under two minutes to play in the second half. Once again, a Madrid timeout and good defense righted the ship, as the team forced four straight misses to take a five-point lead into halftime.
The second half saw more of the same, as the Javelinas answered run after run from the fifth-ranked team in the nation. Timely buckets kept UTT at bay, with none bigger than a triple from senior forward
Janessa Payne with under 90 seconds left to slam the nail into the coffin and secure the victory. Ultimately, Kingsville led for 31:42 of the game, posting a dominant win over the tournament's No.3 seed.
"I think it says a lot about our program," Madrid said. "You know, I got here our first year and we went 4-20, I don't think a lot of people remember that, we cleaned up a mess, and to get to this point where we're not just a check mark to other Lone Star Conference schools speaks volumes about the young ladies we recruit, our administration, and the things that they do for us. So, just excited about this program moving forward, and we'll continue to compete every day."
The Javelinas will face off against the No.2-seeded Lubbock Christian Chaparrals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. with a spot in the LSC Tournament Championship on the line.
