KINGSVILLE, Texas -- Midwestern State forwards Xavier Blackburn and Eddie D'Haiti combined for 45 points to lead the Mustangs to their eighth consecutive win in an 83-60 rout of Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday afternoon at Steinke Center.
 
The Mustangs moved within one victory of their sixth straight 20-win season at 19-6 while keeping within range of an eighth Lone Star Conference championship by improving to 11-2 in league play.
 
"We were sharing the basketball," MSU coach Nelson Haggerty said. "Guys were making plays for each other. Our execution was big and we were able to get what we wanted. The past couple of days we've talked about execution and I thought these guys came out and did things masterfully."
 
Blackburn scored 24 points for the second game in a row hitting on 9-of-12 shots including a pair of 3-pointers while pulling down six rebounds in 32 minutes of play.
 
"He gets his points from so many places," Haggerty said. "Our guys made plays for him and played really free tonight. Another great game out of X."
 
D'Haiti was nearly perfect from the floor hitting on 9-of-10 shots and knocked each of his three tries from beyond the arc while adding two big blocked shots to finish with a career-high 21 points.
 
"We went down to him early," Haggerty said. "He shot the shots he's capable of making around the basket. He is so unselfish and was able to get the ball where we wanted to."
 
Playing without leading scorer Rashad Basey for the third consecutive game, the Javelinas came out with energy and led by as many as four points midway through the opening half, but the Mustangs used a 17-3 run to take a 35-25 lead just over 3 minutes before halftime and led by six at intermission.
 
"Ending halves and how we came out in the second half is very big," Haggerty said. "We were able to create a 6-point pad when (Texas A&M-Kingsville) was playing very well in the first half. In the second half, we started to catch fire. These guys just stepped up and made shots and taking the right shots."
 
The Mustangs came out firing in the second half hitting four consecutive 3-pointers with two by D'Haiti, one by Blackburn and another by senior guard Monzaigo Williams for a 12-0 run and a commanding 52-34 lead.
 
MSU shot 50 percent or better in both halves and stretched the advantage to 29 when DeVaughn Jones hit a transition layup for a 73-44 lead with 7:06 to play.
 
Williams failed to reach double figures for just the second time this season finishing with seven points and five assists, while Jones had a season-high with seven points and four rebounds.
 
Junior forward Abiodun Adegoke was the only player with five points and grabbed four rebounds as 12 different Mustangs found the scoring ledger.
 
"This is a good time of year to have guys playing for each other," Haggerty said. "We are playing well at the right time."
 
Adonis Bailey netted 16 points to pace Texas A&M-Kingsville, who shot just 29 percent in the second half. The Javelinas dropped their third straight to fall to 8-17 overall and 3-10 in LSC play.
 
Midwestern State remains one game back of Tarleton State, who takes on Eastern New Mexico tonight in Portales.
 
The Mustangs close the regular season Saturday on the road against Cameron. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Aggie Gym.