SAN ANTONIO – The St. Mary's University men's basketball team took Texas A&M-Kingsville to the wire on Saturday evening, falling 80-75 to the Javelinas in overtime.
Four Rattlers registered double-figures, led by
Caleb Jordan with 17.
Norman Beckford recorded his second straight double figure effort, netting 12 points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds.
Mamady Djikine and
Emmanuel Ewuzie each chipped in with 10.
Falling behind in the first 10 minutes of the contest, the Rattlers outscored the Javelinas 24-5 over the next 9:14 to build a 33-22 advantage. Over the final 40 seconds of the opening half, Texas A&M-Kingsville responded with an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to just three points heading into the break.
The St. Mary's defense held the Javelinas to just 24 percent shooting in the opening frame, while the Rattlers show 44 percent from the floor.
Out of the break, the Rattlers managed to stay in front, building an eight-point edge over the first 6:22 of the second half.
With 8:07 left in regulation, the Javelinas took their first lead since the 8:10 mark in the first half.
Beckford hit two huge threes that kept St. Mary's in front with just over three minutes to play in the half. Jordan converted a pair of free throws to put St. Mary's in front by four with 52 seconds to go. Fouls on back-to-back possessions by St. Mary's put the Javelinas at the free throw line where they converted four opportunities to tie the game at 69 and send the game into overtime.
Texas A&M-Kingsville struck first in the overtime period and never looked back. The Rattlers trailed by two after a pair of Djikine free throws but St. Mary's went on a scoring drought over the final 2:12 of overtime, allowing the Javelinas to extend their winning streak to seven games.
The Rattlers will close out a three-game homestand next week as they host Angelo State on Friday, Jan. 22 and Saturday, Jan. 23. The games are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively.
