Box Score AUSTIN, Texas – Texas A&M-Kingsville's Irvin Hollinger's layup with three seconds left gave the Javelinas a, 82-80 victory over St. Edward's Tuesday evening at the Recreation and Convocation Center. The loss was the third-straight for the Hilltoppers.
 
TAMU-Kingsville (2-2) started the game on a 6-2 run, as Adonis Bailey had four of the points for the Javelinas. His contribution included a three-pointer.
 
ETHAN GILBERT got St. Edward's (2-3) back in the mix as he made two buckets sandwiched around a jumper by JAMES STUKES. The second basket by Gilbert was off of a steal he picked up in the backcourt. That 6-0 run gave the Hilltoppers the lead, 8-6, with 17:35 remaining.
 
The Javelinas took control midway through the first half as they picked up a handful of offensive boards. They picked up seven offensive rebounds in the opening half. Back-to-back three-pointers by Ronald Scott helped TAMU-Kingsville to its largest lead, 29-21, with 8:11 on the clock.
 
With the Javelinas still holding an eight-point lead with 7:12 remaining, St. Edward's would embark on a 12-4 run over a five-minutes span to knot the score, 35-35. JOHN RUTHERFORD capped off the run with a three-pointer at the 2:44 mark.
 
TAMU-Kingsville would end the half on a 7-2 run to take a 42-37 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, Gramlich came out firing. The freshman guard had seven points in the first four minutes for the Hilltoppers to spark the home team on an 11-6 run. His three-pointer at the 16:10 made it, 48-48.
 
The Javelinas responded with an 11-1 run over the next four minutes to lead by double digits, 59-49, with 12:34 remaining. The visitors made three shots from behind the arc during the stretch. They ended the game shooting 9-of-21 from downtown.
 
TAMU-Kingsville would keep a comfortable lead for most of the second half. A three-point play by Jordan Jahr at the 4:34 mark gave the Javelinas a 76-68 advantage.
 
A trey by Rutherford and layup by HARLEY NUSSMAN cut the lead to three with 3:35 remaining. After the two teams traded baskets, St. Edward's would force the Javelinas into two turnovers. After the first turnover, Stukes headed to the free throw line and knocked down both. The second TAMU-Kingsville turnover resulted in a driving layup by RAMIR BURTON. He was fouled on the play but missed the extra free throw. The layup did give St. Edward's a 79-78 lead with 1:32 remaining. Rashad Basey put the Javelinas back in front with a layup with 1:21 on the clock. Stukes would tie the game for the ninth time on the evening as he split a pair of free throws with 1:08 remaining in the contest.
 
Both teams would miss an opportunity that set the stage for the final stanza. TAMU-Kingsville had the ball with the shot clock off. Jahr drove the lane with seconds winding down and found Hollinger alone under the basket for the winning layup with three seconds left. FRANKIE MGBOLU had a chance from half court but his shot was off the mark.
 
Stukes led all scorers with 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor and 10-for-12 from the charity stripe. Nussman tallied a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. He also had three blocks and now has 15 in the first five games.
 
The Hilltoppers shot a season-high 53 percent from the floor and dished out 19 assists compared to 13 for Texas A&M-Kingsville. However, they only went to the free-throw line a season-low 20 times and made just 12 freebies.
 
St. Edward's will be back in action Thursday when they host cross-town rival Huston-Tillotson. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live video and stats will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic Website.