Javs Men's Basketball Nip Rams 69-66

KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – The Texas A&M-Kingsville men’s basketball team continued to struggle to shoot from the outside on Monday, but were able to score enough on the inside to knock off visiting Huston-Tillotson, 69-66 at Kingsville Hampton Inn Court.
          
The Javelinas (2-2) outscored the Rams (0-7) 34-14 inside the paint area and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds on the night.  Wayne Lovings (Round Rock/Stony Point HS) led the way with six offensive and 11 total rebounds.  After hitting just 29 percent of their shots in the first half, the Hoggies improved to 44.7 percent in the second half as they scored 45 points.
          
In the first half, neither team was able to find the bucket with any regularity.  After 12 minutes of play the Javelinas led just 13-11.  The scoring did not pick up over the final eight minutes and the Hogs went into half with a 24-23 lead.
          
 In the second half, the Rams used a 12-4 run to take a 35-30 lead with 15:47 remaining in the game.  The Javelinas responded with a 10-0 run that included three-point baskets by Adam Morris (Goliad/Goliad HS) and Philip Belford (Robstown/Tuloso-Midway HS).
          
The Rams were able to hang tight for most of the second half, but the Javelinas finally pulled away and led 60-50 after a Lovings jumper with 2:14 remaining.  The Rams knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the final nine seconds to make the final score a little closer.
          
The Javelinas had four players score in double figures.  Lovings finished with a double-double scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.  Marcus Ford (Colorado Springs, CO/Mesa Ridge HS) led the team with 18 points, eight boards and two blocks.  Antwan Mullins (Katy/Cinco Ranch HS) added 13 points and seven rebounds while making 9-of-12 from the foul line.  Morris came off the bench to put in 11 points, grab seven rebounds and dish out four assists.
          
The Rams shot 39.7 percent from the field, made 7-of-18 three-point attempts and were 13-of-14 from the foul line.  Jerald Ardoin led the team with 18 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals.  Rex Kyles came off the bench to score 17 points while James Black added 11 points and seven rebounds.
          
The Javelinas shot 37.7 percent from the field, made 3-of-17 three-pointers and were 14-of-25 from the foul line.  They pulled down 10 more rebounds than the Rams.
          
The Javelinas are back in action on Saturday at East Central at 4 p.m.