Men's Basketball 12/6/2012 11:39:00 PM

Kingsville Surges Late; Downs Dustdevils

LAREDO, Texas (December 6) – Texas A&M Kingsville (5-4) erupted for 41 second half points after scoring only 16 in the first, fighting their way past the TAMIU men’s basketball team (3-3) 57-43 Thursday night at the TAMIU KCB.

The hard fought game was back and forth nearly the entire way, but the Javelinas used two big runs late in the second half to hand the Dustdevils their third loss of the season.

“We were not ready to play tonight,” said Head Coach Bryan Weakley, “we’re still playing as individuals. This group of guys has to make a decision if they want to be a team. We have another opportunity tomorrow to get closer to that goal.”

The Dustdevils shot 31.4 (16-51) percent from the field and once again struggled from the perimeter where they shot just 13.6 percent (3-22). TAMIU out-rebounded Kingsville 38-33, but turned the ball over 19 times resulting in 15 points for the Javelinas.
Jordan Clark led the Dustdevils with 13 points hitting 5-10 shots from the field and grabbed six rebounds. Johnel Gray was the next highest point man for TAMIU adding seven points with four rebounds, two assists and three steals. Jayvin Reynolds grabbed a game-high nine boards, while Damal Donaldson kicked in eight rebounds.

Kingsville was led by Donte McGee who scored a career-high 14 points, while Rashad Basey and Dwight Taylor combined for 20. The Javelinas shot 38.8 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range.

TAMIU opened the game on a 5-0 run, but then hit a hit a five minute scoreless streak allowing the Javelinas to take a one point lead on a jumper from Dwight Taylor. Damal Donaldson connected with a hook shot in the paint to end the drought and put TAMIU up 7-6 with 13:16 remaining.

After Taylor reclaimed the lead for Kingsville with a three, Derico Dandrige evened the game at nine with a quick layup. The Dustdevils then hit another offensive lapse, going without a field goal over the next five minutes as the Javelinas jumped out to a 13-9 lead. Jayvin Reynolds and Matt Culliver combined for four straight TAMIU points, and the two teams traded threes in the final three minutes to send the game into the half tied at 16. The Dustdevils shot just 21.4 percent in the first half and 15.4 percent from beyond the arc.

The second half went back and forth over the first ten minutes before Donte McGee kick started a 7-0 Kingsville run giving the Javelinas a 36-29 advantage. Gray trimmed the lead down to three after hitting back-to-back free throws, but Kingsville converted two three-point plays as part of a 15-6 run to push their lead out to 12 points. TAMIU was able cut the lead down to nine points, but that’s as close as they would get as Kingsville scored five straight points in the final minute to seal the 57-43 win.

Next up for the Dustdevils is a two-game home stand against Arlington Baptist College in the La Posada Classic. Game one gets underway Friday evening at 6 p.m. and game two is slated for a 12 p.m. start on Saturday at the TAMIU KCB.

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