Kingsville - After a nail-biting loss to the Rambelles in San Angelo, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team will have a rematch against Angelo St. as the Javelinas return to Kingsville for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff on Saturday against a familiar Lone Star Conference foe.

The first matchup between these squads on Wednesday night saw the Javelinas put up one of the best defensive performances of their season, holding the Rambelles to just 28.6% shooting from the field and 23.1% from three. TAMUK, however, was unable to get its offense, which has taken a healthy turn for the better in the new year, to consistently match its play on the other end, and the team lost by two on the road.

"Making shots when you are open," Head Coach Michael Madrid said. "We had great looks at the rim and simply didn't make shots."

After a slow offensive start to the year, the Javelinas roster, chock full of new faces, has gelled together well, and had been averaging 66 points per game, to go along with a +8.0 average rebound margin, in their five games in the new year heading into Wednesday's matchup. The team will look to grab hold of that momentum once again as they face a Rambelle squad that sits two games above them in the conference standings.

Kingsville will be trying to break a streak of losses to Angelo that has now stretched to five games reaching back to the 2021-22 season.

Scouting the Competition: The Angelo St. Rambelles (7-9, 5-5 LSC)

After a slow start to their season, the Rambelles have found their groove in the new year, winning four of their last five games heading into Saturday's matchup. 

The team leans on a strong, efficient defense, which holds opponents, on average, to just 35.6% shooting from the field, the second-best mark in the LSC and the 27th-best in the nation. On the other end of the floor, one of the conference's best shooters and scorers, sophomore guard Majik Esquivel leads the crew with 17.4 points per game. Kingsville will look to again limit her impact on the game after holding her to just 5-of-21 shooting on Wednesday, tied for her fewest made field goals in a single game since November. 

"We don't go out with the intention to take out one specific player," Madrid said. "We defense as a team and want to force tough shots. We didn't defend her well either and she simply missed shots. I doubt that happens on Saturday."

Javelina Quick Hitters:

• Sophomore guard Addisyn Parker led a strong Kingsville rebounding performance on Wednesday, smashing her old single-game career high with 13 rebounds, finishing just two points shy of what would have been her first career double-double
• Redshirt junior guard Kaycee Groves is coming off a stellar week of play, with two double-doubles in her last three game, and is now the only player in the conference averaging at least 6.9 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game in LSC play - she is also putting up 11.0 points per game
• Freshman guard Jadeyn Perez was spectacular in the first two starts of her collegiate career, highlighted by a 24-point explosion in a win over Oklahoma Christian - 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 31.4 total rebounds per game - Its average rebound margin of +4.1 per game is the fourth-best in the LSC
• Kingsville's offense has improved as the year has gone alone, and now ranks seventh in the conference in team assists per game (13.13) - Groves leads the way in that regard, her 2.8 assists per game are the tenth-most in the LSC - sophomore guard Addisyn Parker's 2.7 are the 11th-most
• In the eight Lone Star Conference games that the team has played so far, Groves leads the team in both scoring (11.0), rebounds (76.9, ninth in the LSC), assists (3.2, fourth in the LSC), steals (1.9), and blocks (0.7), while Parker has shot the lights out, shooting 46.2% from three (first in the LSC), and making 2.0 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 6.3 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 six different Javelinas who all average at least 3.6 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 eight 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