SE Athletics
DURANT – Southeastern Oklahoma State’s late rally falls short in the final non-conference action of the season against Texas A&M-Kingsville 77-75.
The Savage Storm (2-4) shot 49.1 percent (28-57) from the field and 42.9 percent (12-28) for the game and recorded 35 rebounds. TAMUK converted 43.9 percent from the floor and were 8-fo-14 from beyond the arc and had the advantage at the free-throw line with 14 trips compared to SE’s 11.
DJ Dill led the scoring with 24 points and was joined by Ethan Wilkerson and Landon Condiff in double-figure points with 18 and 11, respectively. Daniel Halldorsson pulled the strings on offense with a game-high 11 assists, while Robert Briley led the side with 11 rebounds.
Texas A&M-Kingsville carried a 7-2 advantage in the first two minutes of the opening 20 minutes, but a quick 5-0 burst from the Storm capped off by a triple from Elijah Hughey tied the score 7-7. The two sides remained close, trading triples locked at 12-12, and later, the blue and gold would tie the game for the fourth time at 17-all after a three-pointer by Wilkerson with 11:15 left in the half.
Following a 7-2 run by TAMUK, Dill began to heat up from deep, knocking down back-to-back treys during a 10-2 run to give Southeastern its first lead of the game, 27-24. The Javelinas picked up the pace again, holding the Storm to just one point over the next two minutes and would regain the advantage 35-28. SE continued to attack from deep with back-to-back triples by Condiff to close the gap to 42-41 at the break.
Dill led the scoring with 13 points and was 3-of-4 shooting at the three-point line, while Halldorsson tallied six assists. Southeastern shot 51.7 percent from the field in the first half and went 50.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Southeastern and Texas A&M-Kingsville were back and forth in the first five minutes of the final half, with the Storm holding a two-point edge after a pair of layups by Dill. Wilkerson extended the lead with a triple, and a layup from Briley would keep the Storm ahead 59-58 after a pair of baskets from the visitors. From there, the Storm went cold over the next five minutes, allowing TAMUK to build a 68-60 lead.
The Javelinas stretched their lead to double-figures, but a pair of baskets from Dill and Briley trimmed the gap to eight, and two free throws by Dill made it 77-71 with 1:39 remaining. Despite the late pressure by the Storm, Texas A&M-Kingsville would hold on to win 77-75.
Southeastern (2-4) begins Great American Conference play on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. as they get set to host Henderson State.