Kingsville - Riding back-to-back wins, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team is headed north for a matchup with Lone Star Conference newcomers UT-Dallas at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The game will be the first road contest of the new year for the Javelinas, who will put their two-game winning streak on the line against the Comets, who have also won their last two conference games.

"Chemistry," Head Coach Michael Madrid said. "We are starting to figure out offensively how to play together. What spots to be in and where the ball needs to be. We are growing up on the floor." 

The Javelinas knocked off Cameron and Oklahoma Christian by a combined 33 points last weekend. The offense is clicking in conference play, where Kingsville leads the LSC in field goal percentage at 46.2% and ranks fourth in three-point shooting at 34.5% in league games, both marks above their season averages.

Freshman guard Jade Perez is averaging nine points per game in LSC play while shooting 52% from the field and 62.5% from beyond the arc. Perez is joined in the backcourt with sophomore guard Addisyn Parker who is averaging 8.4 points in conference and shooting 54.5% from three. On the glass, its junior forward Thalia Daniels with a team-high 5.4 rebounds in conference, helping the Javelinas outrebound conference foes +3.2.

With both teams winners of their last two conference games, Thursday's matchup could prove pivotal in the early LSC standings.

Scouting the Competition: The UT-Dallas Comets (5-6, 2-2 LSC)

Unlike the Javelinas, the Comets have yet to play an LSC game in 2026, though, like Kingsville, the last two conference contests the team has played were both wins. After a tough start to LSC play snapped a three-game winning streak that the squad brought in from non-conference play, UT-Dallas has won two of its last three ball games, and will be playing its first game of the calendar year when it takes on TAMUK Thursday night.

The offense features one of the conference's most potent scorers, Umi Otsuka, who puts up the fourth-most points per game in the LSC (16.2 points per game). The junior guard is also one of the league's most efficient shooters, ranking second in field goal percentage at 55.8%. Otsuka is complemented by Addy Self, who averages 9.4 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game, good for fourth in the conference.

As a team, the Comets rank fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (42%) and lead the LSC in opponent three-point percentage, holding teams to just 25% from beyond the arc. UT-Dallas also ranks second in the league in free-throw shooting at 73.9%.

"They're very well coached and have excellent players," Madrid said. "They spread the floor and use a lot of ball screens to create space. We just need to be who we are and defend to our principles."

Javelina Quick Hitters:

• Freshman guard Jadeyn Perez was spectacular in the first two starts of her collegiate career this weekend, highlighted by a 24-point explosion in a win over Oklahoma Christian on Sunday - the most points scored by a Javelina freshman in a conference game since at least the 2013-14 season

• Perez also set new single-game career highs in both rebounds (six) and assists (three)

• TAMUK has been excellent on the boards so far this year, and leads the conference on the glass, holding opponents to just 30.5 total rebounds per game

• Kingsville's offense has improved as the year has gone alone, and now ranks seventh in the conference in team assists per game (12.9) - sophomore guard Addisyn Parker leads the way in that regard, her 2.7 assists per game are the eighth-most in the LSC

• In the five Lone Star Conference games that the team has played so far, redshirt junior guard Kaycee Groves leads the team in scoring (11.0), while Parker has shot the lights out, shooting 54.5% from three (second in the LSC), and making 2.4 per game (fifth 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 5.7 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 3.8 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