Jones, Holden Help ASU Hold Off Javelinas, 83-73 - Lone Star Conference Skip To Main Content
Vladimir Cherry

Men's Basketball By Nick Eatman

Jones, Holden Help ASU Hold Off Javelinas, 83-73

Despite having the lead for nearly all 40 minutes, Angelo State needed a few clutch baskets and defensive stops down the stretch to hold off pesky Texas A&M-Kingsville in Wednesday’s quarterfinal game of the LSC Basketball Championship.

      ASU saw a 19-point second-half lead trimmed down to two with less than eight minutes remaining before the Rams powered back to the eventual 83-73 win at the Allen Event Center.

      The victory advances Angelo State (25-4) to Friday’s semifinal round against the winner of Midwestern State-Cameron. The season ends for the Javelinas at 8-18.

      With 7:56 to play, Kingsville used a 17-2 run to pull within 62-60. But ASU senior guard Chris Jones carried the Rams to a three-point play on the ensuing end, followed by a steal and assist to push the lead back to seven. Moments later, Marsell Holden beat the shot clock to drill his fifth 3-pointer to give the Rams a 12-point lead with 1:56 remaining.

      Jones, a first-team All-LSC selection, led the way for the Rams with 21 points, along with eight rebounds, while Holden added 20. Demario Mayfield, another first-team All-LSC selection scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds while Omari Gudul had 10 points and seven boards.

      The Javelinas were led by Duan Wright’s 21 points and eight rebounds. Don Thomas had 12 and DJ Weathers came off the bench to score 10.

      In the first half, Angelo State had the hot hand, shooting 56.3 percent from the floor, including five 3-point shots, four by Holden.

      In the regular season, ASU defeated Kingsville by 18 points in both outings and looked to be on its way to similar win, leading by as much as 20 in the first half. The lead was 60-43 at the 13-minute mark before Kingsville found a spark, thanks to Jordan Jahr, who scored eight of his nine points in the furious run to pull within two.

ASU Press Conference:  https://t.co/jXoCXksJLJ

TAMUK Press Conference: http://t.co/rQjOlQ5r3C


    
Angelo State Notes
  • Angelo State advanced to the semifinals of the tournament for the second straight season with the win
  • Demario Mayfield recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 19 points and matched his season-best with 14 rebounds
  • Marsell Holden went 5-for-10 from beyond the arc… Holden now has 88 3-pointers this season with is a new ASU single-season record… He has hit five or more 3-pointers in six games this season
  • Chris Jones scored 21 points and had eight rebounds and has now scored 20 or more points in seven games this season… Jones scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half and Holden had 14 points at halftime
  • The Rams, who lead the nation in field-goal percentage, shot 50.8 percent from the field, including going 6-for-15 from beyond the arc
  • ASU improved to 3-0 against Texas A&M-Kingsville this season with all three wins coming by double digits
  • Angelo State is now 17-24 all-time at the LSC tournament in 28 appearances… ASU will play the winner of Midwestern State and Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday in the semifinals. MSU knocked the Rams out of the 2014 tournament in the semifinals
 
Texas A&M-Kingsville Game Notes
  • Texas A&M-Kingsville entered as the No. 7 seed in the 2015 Lone Star Conference Championships.
  • Angelo State is ranked No. 17 in the NABC Poll and entered the LSC tournament with 24 wins, the most in Rams single season history.
  • TAMUK fell to ASU in both regular season matchups and are 1-6 all-time in LSC tournament play against the Rams. The last time the Hogs met the Rams in the LSC tournament was 1995, when TAMUK defeated ASU, 99-89, to advance to the championship game.
  • Kingsville is 19-29 all-time in LSC tournament games and 0-4 at the Allen Event Center.
  • Angelo State ranked tops in the nation in field goal percentage and scoring margin.
  • Jordan Jahr started his 45 career game as a Hog and 27th of the season. He is the only player to start all 27 games this season.
  • DJ Weathers reached double figures for the 10th time this season.
  • Duan Wright scored 10-plus for the 11th time this season and finished with a team-high 21 points, 15 coming in the second half.
  • The Javelinas are 1-5 when Don Thomas, Jamar Goodwin, Duan Wright, Jordan Jahr and Justin Philippe start.
  • Three players finished in double figures
  • Texas A&M-Kingsville finishes its first season under head coach Johnny Estelle 8-19 overall, 7-11 in games following a loss and 1-2 in neutral site games.