Wildcats swept in Kingsville
2/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Wildcats swept at Kingsville
Both teams fall to 2-5 in respective divisions
WOMEN
KINGSVLLE – ACU's chances of reaching the Lone Star Conference Post-Season Tournament took a hit Saturday afternoon as Texas A&M-Kingsville knocked off the Wildcats, 67-58, in LSC South Division game at the Steinke Fieldhouse.
The loss – ACU's fourth in its last five games – pushes the Wildcats to 11-11 overall and 2-5 in the LSC South Division. The Wildcats are now in sixth place in the eight-team division, ahead of only Texas A&M-Commerce and Eastern New Mexico. ACU still has one game left on a five-game road swing, and that comes Tuesday at 7 p.m. when it goes to San Angelo to play league-leading and 10th-ranked Angelo State at the Junell Center.
ACU, picked to finish second in the LSC South before the season started, has not reached the LSC Post-Season Tournament since the 1999-2000 season.
The Javelinas, meanwhile, gave its post-season chances a boost with the win. A&M-Kingsville is now 10-10 overall and 3-5 in the LSC South and in fifth place. The top four teams at the end of the regular season will reach the tournament.
After taking the lead at 11-10 with 13:48 left in the first half on a bucket by Arie Wilson, the Javelinas never trailed the rest of the day, building their lead to as many as 14 points in the first half before settling for a 35-26 halftime lead.
A&M-Kingsville then put the game out of reach by starting the second on a 9-0 run that stretched the lead to 44-26 with 17:05 to play. Wilson had six of the points in the run as the Javelinas took their largest lead of the game at 18 points.
ACU still trailed by 16 points (58-42) with 8:01 to play before starting a 14-3 run that brought them to within 61-56 on a Melanie Carter layup with 2:17 to play. But that was as close as the Wildcats would get as the Javelinas secured the win on their home court.
The loss wasted a fine effort by Carter, who had 27 points (10 of 14 shooting from the field) and seven rebounds. The junior center, though, was the only Wildcat player in double figures after the club had four players in double figures in Thursday's 76-53 win over Texas A&M-Commerce.
Wilson led the Javelinas with 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Sholanda Pipkin had 21 and Kelly Beckler 20. Beckler had 15 of her points – all on 3-pointers – in the first half.
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MEN
KINGSVILLE – ACU completed its four-game road swing Saturday afternoon with its second straight loss, this time a 77-68 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville at the Steinke Fieldhouse.
The Wildcats, who are now 11-10 overall and 2-5 in the Lone Star Conference South Division, finished the road trip 2-2, finishing with losses at Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas A&M-Kingsville after opening the trip with back-to-back wins over Angelo State and Midwestern State.
After taking an early 12-9 lead on a Rodney Lee 3-pointer, the Wildcats surrendered the lead seconds later on a 3-pointer by Edward Porter. The Javelinas scored two trips later on a Remi Yusuf layup, and they would never trail again.
A&M-Kingsville (10-12 and 2-5) increased its lead to as many as 10 points in the first half before settling for a nine-point lead at the half (40-31).
The Wildcats didn't fold, though, rallying at the start of the second half to cut the Javelina lead to 44-40 with a 9-0 run. Lee had five points in the run, which culminated with a Drexel Johnson bucket with 17:07 to play.
Kingsville stretched the lead back out to nine points at 55-46 with 10:03 to play, but the Wildcats made another charge, this time ripping off a 10-3 run that cut the lead to just 58-56 with 6:14 left. Calvin Nite had all nine points in the run, including a dunk and a 3-pointer.
The Javelinas, however, would not be denied on their home court as they slowly worked the lead back to nine points (69-60) with just 2:50 to play in the game. ACU would not draw closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Lee led all scorers with 18 points, while Nite had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Wildcats will return to action Thursday at 8 p.m. at Moody Coliseum when they host the Javelinas, followed by a 4 p.m. home game Saturday against Texas A&M-Commerce.
