Bethany, OK – The Javelinas win their first game of the season
Texas A&M – Kingsville starts the year off on the right foot with a win over Northwestern Oklahoma State. This game started off with the Javelinas going down in the first quarter as the Rangers began hot. After that, the tables completely turning around as the Javelinas would take full control of the next three quarters. They would end winning the game 65-43 a 22-point beating.
This game had it is ups and downs, as does any as Head Coach
Michael Madrid Said "Extremely proud of our group as a whole. We started slow and the middle two quarters we were able to find our rhythm and settle in. I though defensively we were locked in and forced some tough shots." He then added about a crucial moment that did not happen on the court as he mentioned "Our Biggest assist of the game came from
Zoey Yanez who didn't play. Logan's shoes broke and Zoey didn't hesitate to take her shoes off and give them to Logan. That's who we are." This really encapsulates the Javelina way, as no matter what is going on or how much playing time everyone gets, they are ready to help on, or off the court at a moment's notice.
Tale of the Match
The beginning of this game was a little slow as Texas A&M – Kingsville would end the first quarter down by 4 trailing 15-19. The second quarter started with the Rangers scoring a layup, but then the Javelinas would go a 9-0 run to take a 24-21 lead, and they would never look back as they held the Rangers to only 9 points total. This momentum would carry through the half as a 16-4 run would ensue and going into the 4
th quarter the Javelinas would hold a 19-point advantage. After scoring 19 in the first, the Rangers would not score double digits in any other point. The Javelinas would hold them to 9 in the 2
nd, 8 in 3
rd, and 7 in 4
th.
The Javelinas would wind up with three players with ten or more points. As
Kaycee Groves had 14,
Endija Sedlina with 13 and
Jade Perez with 10. Defense was the story of the day as the Javelinas held them to 26% from the field on the day, including holding them to 14% in the fourth. They Javelinas best quarters were the 2
nd and 3
rd as they shot 50% and 46% from field and outscored the Rangers 40-17. Texas A&M – Kingsville were alive on the boards as the outrebounded them 46 to 35, as well as stealing the ball 9 times.
The points on the run and in the paint proved to be a key point as the Javelinas had 24 points in the paint and had 14 points off the fastbreak. The bench was crucial as the team secured 21 points as a spark, as well as holding Northwestern Oklahoma to zero bench points in the third. The only stat the Javelinas did not lead was 2
nd chance as the Rangers had 10 and Kingsville had 7. This was the first win by over 20 points by the team since Jan 2
nd against Cameron.
Looking Ahead
The Javelinas' season will continue tomorrow as they will take on the Host team in Southern Nazarene. This game will tip-off at 4:00 PM. Fans of the Javelinas can tune into the action live on the GAC Network or by following the team at JavelinaWBB on X & Instagram.
