Kingsville - After coming up just short of a road comeback upset of No.23 Lubbock Christian on Thursday night, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's basketball team is in Wichita Falls for a Lone Star Conference matchup with the Midwestern St. Mustangs, with tipoff set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Down by as many as 19, TAMUK mounted a monumental comeback that fell just short to toppling the Javelinas' ranked opponent, and will hope to take momentum from its stellar second half into Saturday's contest with the Mustangs, who have proven themselves adept at forcing turnovers (21.2, third in the LSC).

"We stress quality possessions and protecting the ball every game," Head Coach Michael Madrid said. "A majority of our turnovers are self-inflicted, so we need to focus on our decision making and shot selection."

Kingsville will look to possess the ball and lean on its healthy rebounding advantage. The team has been near the top of the conference all season in fewest total opponent rebounds, and ranks fourth in the LSC in rebounding margin at +4.4, as compared with MSU's -2.6 (14th in the LSC). 

Scouting the Competition: The Midwestern State Mustangs (6-15, 3-12 LSC)

The Mustangs got the third LSC win of their season in a 12-point takedown of TAMIU Thursday night, breaking a four-game losing streak that they had carried into the weekend. They will hope to continue that momentum into Saturday's contest, where the team will be hoping to break another streak. Kingsville has beaten MSU in the squads' last five head-to-head matchups with Midwestern's last win over TAMUK coming in March of 2019. 

One of the conference's best scorers and rebounders, sophomore forward Kerbie Cash, leads the Mustangs, putting up 16.5 points per game (fifth in the LSC), 7.6 rebounds per game (sixth in the LSC), and 2.2 steals per game (fifth in the LSC). Cash is coming off of a 15-point, nine-rebound, five-assists performance in MSU's Thursday-night win over the Dustdevils.

"We play team defense, meaning everyone that is on the floor is responsible for defending every action and player," Madrid said. "We work hard to force tough, contested shots then rebound."

Javelina Quick Hitters

• Kingsville posted a spectacular defensive performance against No.23 Lubbock Christian on Thursday, holding the team to just 3-of-21 shooting from the field in the second half and 0-of-7 in the fourth quarter as they pushed LCU to the brink in Lubbock
• Redshirt junior guard Kaycee Groves had a spectacular performance in last weekend's LSC win over the Hilltoppers, dropping 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, the highest single-game scoring effort by a Javelina since February of 2023
• In the team's 15 LSC games, Groves had led the team in scoring (11.7, 16th in the LSC) rebounding (6.1, 16th in the LSC), steals (1.9, 14th in the LSC), and blocks (0.7, 14th in the LSC))
• Freshman guard Jadeyn Parez has been impactful in her early starts, highlighted by a 24-point explosion against Oklahoma Christian; She is shooting 48.2% from the field and 44.9% 3PT (leads team) on the season
• TAMUK has been excellent on the boards so far this year, ranking fourth in the LSC with +4.4 per game in rebound margin; the Javelinas limit opponents to 31.0 rebounds per game (best in the LSC)
• In the 15 in-conference games that the Javelinas have played, they've been even better, posting a rebound margin of +6.0 (fourth in the LSC), and leading the conference in fewest total opponent rebounds (30.1)
• Sophomore forward Thalia Daniels has had a strong start to her career in the blue and gold, leading the team on the glass at 5.8 rebounds per game (with 6.1 ppg).
• While she leads a team effort on the glass, the Javelinas' success on the boards has been a group project - six different Javelinas average 3.4-plus rebounds per game this season (four at 4.0-plus)
• The second-winningest Head Coach in program history, Michael Madrid is beginning his seventh year at the helm for the Javelinas just six LSC wins from passing Jill Wilson for the most conference wins in program history