Wichita Falls, Tx - With just five games remaining in conference play, Texas A&M-Kingsville travels to D.L. Ligon Coliseum for an all-important clash with Midwestern State on Saturday.
The Javelinas (11-12, 8-7 LSC) currently sit in the final spot to reach the Lone Star Conference men's basketball tournament through 15 conference games. Their 8-7 record puts them two games up over the Mustangs (8-14, 6-9 LSC), and a win would make it essentially a two team race for the eighth seed between the Javelinas and Angelo State.
In order to get this essentially must-win game, the Javelinas will need to flush Thursday's contest from their memory when they fell to No. 11 Lubbock Chrisitan from the Rip Griffin Center.
TJ Ford Jr. erupted for a game-high 18 points, but it would not be enough as the Chaparrals handled the Javelinas from Lubbock.
Over the past seven games, the Javelinas have been able to lock in defensively and get their on-ball pressure rolling. They have held each of their last seven opponents to around 67 points per game, five of said teams have scored 65 or less during this seven game stretch. Leading the charge defensively has been the play of
Nate Garcia, who is averaging 5 rebounds per game to go with five straight games with a steal. Garcia has also scored in double-figures three times during this stretch.
On the other side of the ball, the Javelinas continue to maintain their balanced attack between their scorers. Four Javelinas are scoring seven points or more in
Jadon Sautter,
Allen Singleton, Ford Jr and
Bryson Goldsmith. Sautter has been especially impressive in this stretch, averaging nine points while scoring in double-figures three separate times.
The balanced offensive attack will need to contend with an equally balanced attack from Midwestern State, who has four players averaging 10-or-more points. However, the Mustangs do present opportunities for the Javelinas to get extra possessions as they average 14.3 turnovers per game.
Tip-off for Saturday's contest is set for 3:00 pm from Wichita Falls. Fans of the Javelinas can watch the game on FloCollege or follow the game at JavelinaMBB on X.
