- Box Score
SAN ANTONIO – The TexAnn basketball team held off a tough Incarnate Word squad and escaped San Antonio with a 68-64 victory over the Cardinals. With that, Tarleton has now won 15 straight games and improved to 17-5 on the season.
Tarleton got out to a fast start and pushed the tempo early. By the first media timeout, the TexAnns were up on the Cardinals 9-5 thanks to the inside play of Kiara Wright and Shanae Lowrance.
The TexAnns continued to lead UIW, but the Cardinals refused to go away. Tarleton and UIW battled back and forth with the Cardinals keeping the game in the three-point margin.
At the 9:45 mark, the TexAnns pulled ahead 21-18 after back-to-back three's by Lisa Parker and Shelby Adamson. Tarleton struggled somewhat defensively as the host Cardinals turned TexAnn turnovers into easy baskets.
With 4:42 to go in the half, the TexAnns began to build a substantial lead and ended the half on a 9-3 run. Tarleton relied heavily on the three down the stretch had a number of shots fall their way at the right time.
The TexAnns went into the locker room at halftime with a 34-26 advantage.
Through the first 20 minutes of action, the TexAnns shot 54.2 percent from the field and 100 percent from the charity stripe. Tarleton also held UIW to a measly 33.3 percent shooting and 0-for-4 from three-point range.
Peyton Adamson was the TexAnns' leading scorer at the break with seven points and did not miss a shot in the first half. Kiara Wright added four points and four rebounds while Shelby Adamson and Tara Towns combined for all seven Tarleton assists.
Ifunanya Mora was UIW's leading scorer at the half with seven points. The TexAnns' committed 14 turnovers in the first half which allowed the Cardinals to hang with Tarleton.
The second half began with the TexAnns enjoying an eight point lead. UIW was able to chip away at both the margin and Tarleton's confidence though, making it a 41-36 ballgame by the 15:25 mark.
The TexAnns attempted to pull away, but each time, the Cardinals would counter with buckets on the other end of the floor. This continued into the second part of the second half until the TexAnns finally got a grip on the game.
At the 7:16 mark, Tarleton extended their lead to double-digits for the first time in the ball game at 59-47 thanks to a trio of made free throws by Peyton Adamson.
The TexAnns took that double-digit lead and held it there over the next several minutes. By 4:11 left to play, Tarleton led 59-49 over the Cardinals.
UIW clawed their way back into the game though and knocked the deficit down to five at 59-54 with 2:17 remaining.
Both teams added buckets to make it 61-57 with 1:31 to go in the game. Tarleton watched their double-digit lead dwindle, but was not going to let the Cardinals slip through their hands on Saturday.
UIW attempted to foul their way back into the game, but the conference's second best free throw percentage team in Tarleton converted their free throws down the stretch.
In the end, Tarleton proved to be too much for Incarnate Word and left San Antonio with a 68-64 victory over the Cardinals. With that, the TexAnns have now won 15 straight games.
Tarleton improved their record to 17-5 overall and 14-0 in Lone Star Conference action.
Shelby Adamson was the leading scorer for the TexAnns, recording 17 points, four assists, three steals and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Peyton Adamson added 15 points while Kiara Wright had yet another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
With 17 points, Shelby Adamson passed Tarleton Assistant Coach Misty Wilson on the all-time scoring list. Adamson is now fourth all-time in scoring.
Overall, Tarleton shot 42.2 percent from the floor and hit 22 of their 28 free throw attempts. UIW was held to 35.2 percent shooting and 22.2 percent from behind the arc. Ifunanya Mora finished the game with 21 points to lead the Cardinals.
The TexAnns' next game is another road contest. Wednesday, Tarleton will travel to Denton to take on Texas Woman's at 7 p.m.
For more information regarding the 2011-12 TexAnn basketball campaign, check out TarletonSports.com.
