Kingsville - Coming off of a one-game weekend last week, which saw it take a tight loss to UT-Dallas, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team will play the first of back-to-back games against the Dustdevils from Texas A&M-International on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m..

The Javelinas came storming into the new year, grabbing two straight Lone Star Conference wins to begin 2026, the first two of their season. After a close loss in its first road game since the turn of the calendar, TAMUK now looks ahead to a rare pair of home-and-home's, where it is slated to take on TAMIU twice in as many games, hosting the Dustdevils Tuesday before heading to Laredo on Saturday.

"Our main focus is always to improve," Head Coach Michael Madrid said. "We need to continue to work on our decision-making and shot selection. We have to continue to do what we do on both ends of the floor regardless of who we are playing. Our focus needs to be on the process of Javelina Women's Basketball."

Despite a 2-4 LSC record, Kingsville is still within 1.5 games of a potential Conference Tournament spot, with its next four games coming against teams slated just ahead of it in the LSC standings (2 x TAMIU, 2 x Angelo St.). Looking for key wins over the next few weeks of play, the Javelinas will lean on a balanced scoring attack, which features six different plays averaging 7.0+ points per game in LSC play (six games). Leading them is redshirt junior guard Kaycee Groves, who paces the squad in both scoring (10.5) and assists (2.7) over that stretch.

Scouting the Competition: The Texas A&M-International Dustdevils (7-6, 4-3 LSC)

After a slow (2-6) start to the season, the Dustdevils have rattled off five straight wins heading into their mid-week matchup with the Javelinas, including three straight victories in LSC play. 

Though she's played in just four games for TAMIU (the team's four most recent games), junior guard Jayden Smallwood leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game, and has racked up 10 steals over those four matchups. Senior center Rachael Emmanuel locks down the middle for the Dustdevils. Not only is she the conference's second leading rebounder, but she also averages a double-double on the season (10.6ppg, 10.0rpg).

At 66.5 points per game, the TAMIU team averages the fifth-most points per game in the LSC. Though the team struggles to shoot an effective percentage from the field, it gleans numerous extra possessions by both forcing turnovers (22.2, fourth in the LSC), and crushing the offensive glass (15.1, 2nd in the LSC). Protecting the basketball and locking down on the glass will likely prove keys for a Javelina win.

"International is a very athletic team that has caused teams problems all season long," Madrid said. "They have gotten better each time they step on the floor. We will certainly have our hands full and look forward to the opportunity. The goal is to simply go 1-0 on Tuesday."

Javelina Quick Hitters:

• Freshman guard Jadeyn Perez was spectacular in the first two starts of her collegiate career last weekend weekend, highlighted by a 24-point explosion in a win over Oklahoma Christian last Sunday - the most points scored by a Javelina freshman in a conference game since at least the 2013-14 season
• TAMUK has been excellent on the boards so far this year, and is second the conference on the glass, holding opponents to just 31.3 total rebounds per game - Its average rebound margin of +1.8 per game is the seventh-best in the LSC
• Kingsville's offense has improved as the year has gone alone, and now ranks eighth in the conference in team assists per game (12.6) - sophomore guard Addisyn Parker leads the way in that regard, her 2.5 assists per game are the 11th-most in the LSC
• In the six Lone Star Conference games that the team has played so far, redshirt junior guard Kaycee Groves leads the team in both scoring (10.5) and assists (2.7), while Parker has shot the lights out, shooting 52.0% from three (third in the LSC), and making 2.2 per game (seventh in the LSC)
• Sophomore forward Thalia Daniels has had a strong start to her career in the blue and gold, leading the team in rebounding with 5.6 per game
• While she leads a team effort on the glass, the Javelinas' success on the boards has been a team affair, as she is one of five different Javelinas who all average at least 4.0 rebounds per game
• The second-winningest Head Coach in program history, Michael Madrid is beginning his seventh year at the helm for the Javelinas just 9 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