SAN ANTONIO — The two teams combined to make 27 of 47 free throws in the second half, keeping the game from having much flow as the No. 13 St. Mary's University Men's Basketball team defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville 74-56 in the final non-conference game of the season.
The Rattlers improve to 9-2 on the year and finish up non-conference play with a 7-1 record, as they are 2-1 in LSC action. The Javelinas drop to 5-6 on the year and are also 2-1 in the Lone Star Conference.
Senior guard
Damani Claxton (Bronx, N.Y.) led all players with 25 points and had a team-high three assists. He was 11-for-13 at the free throw line and tied for second on the team with five rebounds. Claxton has scored 20+ points in back-to-back games for the first time this year after leading the team with 23 points against Fort Lewis on Wednesday.
Senior
Sebastian Mendoza (Riverside, Calif.) was the only other Rattler in double figures scoring with 11 points. He also had two assists and two steals, though his time on the court was cut short due to foul trouble.
Junior
Justin Britt (Goose Creek, S.C.) led the game with a career-high 11 rebounds, grabbing nine on the defensive end of the court. He's hit double digits in boards twice this week after grabbing 10 in the win over Central Oklahoma on Tuesday. Senior
Olaverr Camacho (Barberena, SR, Guatemala) and junior
JJ Walton (Tampa, Fla.) also brought down five rebounds to knot Claxton for second as the Rattlers out-rebounded the Hogs 49-to-31 on the afternoon.
Sophomore
Lawyer Jones (Waco, Texas) had a strong showing, scoring eight points with two rebounds and a steal in only 11 minutes of action. He drained his only attempt from beyond the arc and was 3-for-4 at the charity stripe for a +17 on the +/- chart.
Tied at 10-10 at 11:17 in the first half, StMU used a 16-2 run over the next eight minutes to open up a 14-point advantage, 26-12, and entered the locker room up nine, 26-17. The Javelinas were able to chip away in the second half, closing within six on two occasions, but the Rattlers answered and pushed the lead out to 25, 73-48, with 1:06 remaining on a traditional three-point play by Claxton.
St. Mary's now takes a 12-day break from competition for the holidays, returning to action on Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. against Midwestern State.
