Kingsville - Hot off of the first win of its season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team is back in action on Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. matchup against the Eagles from Oklahoma Christian.

The Javelinas blew out Cameron, 70-41, in their first game of the new year, moving up to 1-3 in Lone Star Conference play behind a complete effort on both ends of the ball that saw TAMUK win the rebound battle by 20 and put three scorers into double figures.

"Looking forward to practice today," Head Coach Michael Madrid said. "Getting better and cleaning up our weaknesses. Every day we simply try to go 1-0 and become the best basketball team we can become."

The team is now preparing for OC, who it has beaten in its last five straight matchups. The game stands as an opportunity at a second straight LSC win to begin the new year, which would pull Madrid within single-digit games of becoming the winningest coach in conference play in the program's history and would be a huge boost to the team's conference standings.

In the early going on LSC play (four games), two returners, sophomore guard Addisyn Parker and redshirt junior guard Kaycee Groves, have stepped into significant roles on the team. Parker leads the team in scoring with 9.8 points per game on 58% shooting from distance (1st in the LSC), while Groves adds 9.5 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, five steals, and a team-high three blocks. Conference play has also seen sophomore forward Thalia Daniels step up her game, as she leads the team in rebounds per game (5.3), and assists per game (3.0), while also being the squad's third leading scorer (8.5 points per game).

Sunday's contest will feature two teams that have been stellar on the glass so far this year. Kingsville leads the LSC in fewest total opponent rebounds per game (30.1), while Oklahoma Christian's +6.3 average rebound margin is the second best in the conference.

Scouting the Competition: The Oklahoma Christian Eagles (5-7, 1-4 LSC)

After a strong start to their season, the Eagles have lost five of their last six games, including a two point loss to Texas A&M - International in Laredo on Friday night. Included in that stretch are all of OC's LSC contests, and it brings a 1-4 in-conference record into Sunday's matchup.

Redshirt senior forward Taylor Jackson leads the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game (10th in the LSC) on 53.2% shooting from the field (fourth in the LSC), while adding 6.8 rebounds per game (11th in the LSC). Three other OC players average at least 8.9 points per game, led by junior forward Kenzie Willis, who puts up 10.4 points per game.

In addition to their prowess on the glass, the Eagles also draw the most free throws out of any team in the conference. Though they don't shoot it at a great clip (66.1%, 13th in LSC), they have attempted more than 30 more free throws than any other team in the LSC, despite having played in fewer games than the teams in both second and third place.

"We have done a decent job of limiting our fouls so hopefully that continues moving forward," Madrid said. 

Javelina Quick Hitters:

• TAMUK has been excellent on the boards so far this year, and leads the conference on the glass, holding opponents to just 30.1 total rebounds per game - the team's +2.9 rebound margin is the sixth-best in the LSC
• Kingsville's offense has improved as the year has gone alone, and now ranks sixth in the conference in team assists per game (13.0) - sophomore guard Addisyn Parker leads the way in that regard, her 2.9 assists per game are the fifth-most in the LSC
• In the four Lone Star Conference games that the team has played so far, Parker leads the team in scoring (9.8), with redshirt junior guard Kaycee Groves not far behind (9.5)
• In the first start of her collegiate career, freshman guard Jadeyn Perez went off for 11 points and six rebounds (both career highs)
• Sophomore forward Thalia Daniels has had a strong start to her career in the blue and gold, leading the team in rebounding with 5.7 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 3.9 rebounds per game
• Freshman forward Justine Aguilar has been excellent in her first nine games of collegiate basketball - is the team's third leading scorer despite having not yet started a game for the Javelinas
• The second-winningest Head Coach in program history, Michael Madrid is beginning his seventh year at the helm for the Javelinas just 10 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