Tulsa, OK - Texas A&M-Kingsville dropped its season opener to Northeastern State University, , Friday from the Tulsa Tip-Off Classic.
The Javelinas (0-1, 0-0 LSC) trailed the Riverhawks (1-0, 0-0 MIAA) by just three points early in the second half before Northeastern State ripped off a 18-7 run to go up by double-figures in the second half which all but put the game out of reach for the Javelinas. Friday's loss was the first time the Javelinas dropped a season-opener since the 2021-22 season.
Offensively, the Javelinas shot just 31.4 percent from the floor and managed just four made 3-pointers on the night. The Riverhawks meanwhile made seven 3-pointers, got 26 points from their bench and scored 20 points off of Javelina turnovers. The Javelinas were able to out-rebound the Riverhawks, with three players racking up over five rebounds in the game.
From tip-off however, the Javelinas were able to keep up with the Riverhawks thanks to their presence in the paint and transition offense. Texas A&M-Kingsville scored 18 points in the paint as well as 14 points in transition to keep themselves largely within striking distance of the Riverhawks. A late surge to end the half from Northeastern State
The Javelinas did have a chance late in the ballgame to get a wild comeback in their first game of the season thanks to the efforts of TJ Ford Jr, who scored eight of his fourteen points with just over 5 minutes to go to get the game under double-digits. Another late push from the Javelinas cut the lead to two with 14 seconds left thanks to an
Oren Bowens Jr. 3-pointer, however the Javelinas could not get the game back to an even state as the Riverhawks made just enough of their late-game baskets to keep the Javelina comeback at bay.
Ford led the team with 18 points while
Jadon Sautter added 14 while also leading the team with nine rebounds.
Vejas Matekonis finished with eight rebounds and eight points while
Bryce Smith led the Javelinas with four assists and a team-high two steals.
Texas A&M-Kingsville will face Rogers State Saturday at 5:00 pm from the Tulsa Tip-Off Classic. Fans of the Javelinas can watch the game on the MIAA network or follow the action at JavelinaMBB on X.
