SAN ANTONIO — Trailing by 16 with 11:29 remaining, the St. Mary's University Men's Basketball completed the comeback, winning over Texas A&M-Kingsville in overtime on Friday night, 83-81.
After Head Coach
Bubba Meyer called a timeout at 11:22, the Rattlers (7-4, 4-1) scored nine of the next 11 points to cut the deficit to nine with 8:54 to play. The teams went back and forth over the next five-and-a-half minutes until the Javelina's (6-7, 2-4) lead was trimmed to seven, 69-62, with 3:16 remaining. The Rattlers scored the final seven points of regulation, including four by junior guard
Damani Claxton (Bronx, N.Y.) to force the extra period.
StMU scored nine of the first 11 in OT for a 78-71 lead with 1:17 left, but TAMUK chipped away to close within three with 34 seconds remaining, and the Rattlers managed to hang on for the 83-81 win despite some tense moments at the free throw line. The Gold and Blue made seven of its 10 attempts in the final five minutes, well above their season average of .601.
Claxton scored eight of his 22 points in overtime and 19 after halftime to lead all scorers. Senior
Lachlan Bofinger (Sydney, Australia) collected his fifth double-double of the year, and third straight, with 18 points and 14 rebounds. He also tied for game-high honors with seven assists.
Joining the pair in double figures in the scoring column were junior
Wayne Wiggins (Mansfield, Texas) with 12 and senior
Franklin Agu (London, England) with 11. Freshman
Lawyer Jones (Waco, Texas) grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and led the team with a career-high tying three steals.
The Javelinas were led by senior Isaiah Payne with 19 points and seven assists, while Jordan Henderson grabbed a team-high eight boards. Zyon Little (13), Allen Singleton (11) and Nate Lacewell (11) also scored in double figures.
All nine players scored at least two points for the Rattlers and grabbed one or more rebounds, and eight of the nine dished out an assist.
For the first time this year, StMU did not reach double figures in offensive rebounds, collecting eight. The Rattlers did win the rebound battle, 41-to-35, and the team scored 48 points in the paint. TAMUK sank seven of its eight three-pointers in the first half to build the lead but made only 1-for-7 in the second half and overtime as the Rattlers tightened up their defense.
The Rattlers gained the lead in the all-time series against the Javelinas with the victory and now have a 67-66 advantage dating back to 1928 when the teams started competing.
St. Mary's hosts Texas A&M International on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 3 p.m. The Dustdevils dropped a 69-53 decision in Austin to St. Edward's on Friday evening.
