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No. 25 Tarleton (16-3,3-1 LSC) at Texas A&M-Kingsville (15-4, 3-1 LSC)
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 • 5 p.m.
Steinke Center • Kingsville, Texas
WHAT'S ON TAP
The No. 25 Tarleton TexAnns will hit the road for a one-game road stand at Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday, Feb. 30. The TexAnns and Javelinas are scheduled to tip-off at 5 p.m. inside the Steinke Center in Kingsville.
The match-up will be broadcast live on KSTV (93.1 FM) in Stephenville. Play-by-play announcer Dr. Ron Newsome will have the call for all TexAnns. Fans can listen to the action live via the Tarleton Athletics Radio Network by logging onto the KSTV web site or by clicking the Listen LIVE button in the game preview.
Live audio and video will be available for all home games throughout the season. The video and audio streams of the broadcast will be available on www.TarletonSports.com as part of Tarleton All-Access.
ABOUT THE TEXANNS
Tarleton (16-3, 3-1 LSC) went on a 12-4 run late in the second period of Wednesday's game against Abilene Christian, helping pave the way to a 70-64 win over the visiting Wildcats.
Shedera Bowman began the run with a lay-up to make it a 51-46 game in favor of the TexAnns. Following a lay-up from ACU's Courtney Laing, JoAnne Jones made a lay-up of her own at the other end of the court to put the TexAnns back up by five, 53-48. Jamie Meyer sank a pair of Wildcat free throws at the 6:53 mark and Shleby Adamson scored 30 seconds later as the shot clock was expiring to make it 55-50. Consecutive baskets from Sonya Sundberg, Morgan Stehling and Kelsey Benford put the TexAnns on top 61-50 and ACU (12-7, 2-2 LSC) never recovered.
The Wildcats managed to pull within six points when a lay-up from Kelsey Darby-Holson and a three-pointer from Kat Kundmueller made it a 61-55 game, but Tarleton answered with a lay-up form Sundberg that increased the TexAnn lead back to eight points.
ACU managed to get the game within four points with just 11 seconds remaining, but as the TexAnns were forced to do last Saturday in Canyon, the Wildcats had to foul. Sundberg and Adamson each made their free throw attempts in between a Darby-Holson lay-up and Tarleton picked up the six-point win.
Adamson led the TexAnns with a game-high 20 points and Jones followed with 14 points. Stehling had 13 points and Sundberg added 11 points as the other two players to record double digits.
Tarleton out-rebounded the Wildcats 45-39, despite ACU having pulled down more offensive boards (18-15). The TexAnns shot .425 percent from the field on the evening and ACU finished shooting .417.
It was just the fifth win for the TexAnns over the Wildcats inside Wisdom Gym and ninth overall in a series that dates back to 1980. Tarleton will take a two-game winning streak over the Wildcats into Abilene when the teams meet again on Feb. 16.
HOME SWEET HOME
Tarleton is a perfect 10-0 when playing inside the friendly confines of Wisdom Gym this season. With the win over ACU, the TexAnns pushed the home winning streak to 14 games dating back to last season. Tarleton's last home defeat came to West Texas A&M (70-63) back on Jan. 24, 2009.
STEHLING STRIVING IN STARTING ROLE
Since joining the starting rotation, sophomore forward Morgan Stehling has put up big numbers for the TexAnns. The Lorena native is averaging 12.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as a starter.
ADAMSON COMING ON STRONG
Sophomore guard Shelby Adamson began the season averaging just under nine points a game until she had her best outing of the season against Texas A&M-Commerce. She scored what was then a new career-high 16 points and has since then increased her average to 11.2 points an outing.
She scored a career-high 24 points against Angelo State and poured in 20 points at home against ACU. Adamson tops all Tarleton players since opening up south division play, averaging 16.5 points a game.
CONTROLLING THE INSIDE
The TexAnns have out-rebounded the opposition in 15 of their 19 games this season and are 13-2 during those contests. Tarleton had a streak of nine straight games out-rebounding the opponent come to an end last Wednesday against ENMU (24-24).
Tarleton has been out-rebounded just three times this season, but was a perfect 2-0 in those games before last Saturday's loss to West Texas A&M. The Lady Buffs out-rebounded the TexAnns 28-26 in Canyon.
Pittsburg State out-rebounded the TexAnns 46-41 in Tarleton's 75-46 win over the Gorillas. Tarleton was then out-rebounded 34-27 against Northeastern State, but Tarleton came back to win that game, 56-42.
JONES NETS 1,000 POINTS FOR HER CAREER
JoAnne Jones became just the 19th player in Tarleton TexAnn history to record 1,000 points in her career. Jones netted a lay-up with 4:41 remaining in the second-half of Wednesday's game against ENMU to give her 11 points on the night and exactly 1,000 in her four-year career at Tarleton.
The last two players to join the elite 1,000-point club for the TexAnns have been Katie Crawford (1,259 - 2007) and Misty Wilson (1,440 - 2002).
LEADING THE PACK
Brittnie Haley has led the TexAnns in scoring in seven games this season. Shelby Adamson and Tori Skarke follow having each led in four games. JoAnne Jones has led three times, while Morgan Stehling has led twice. Tara Towns has led in scoring once this season.
HELPING THEIR OWN CAUSE
The TexAnns have scored more points off turnovers than their opponents in 17 of their 19 games this season, with UTPB (21-20) and West Texas A&M (27-25) being the only teams to score more. In all, Tarleton has out-scored opponents 474-220 in points off turnovers.
GIVING TO CHARITY
Shelby Adamson leads the team and ranks fourth in the LSC in free throw shooting, making .840 percent (68-81) of her shots from the charity stripe. Heading into this week, Adamson ranked 35th in the nation in free throw percentage. The sophomore made 27 consecutive free throw attempts at one point earlier this season.
WINNING WAYS
Tarleton's 61-35 win over Angelo State back on Jan. 16, assured Tarleton its sixth consecutive winning season - all under head coach Ronnie Hearne. Hearne and the TexAnns went 15-15 in his first season giving him seven consecutive non-losing seasons as head coach of the TexAnn basketball program.
STRIVE FOR 20
The TexAnns are just three wins away from netting head coach Ronnie Hearne a 20-win season. 20 victories in one season would be the most for a TexAnn team under his guidance. The 2005-06 team won 19 games under Hearne
D-FENCE... D-FENCE... D-FENCE...
Since giving up 86 points on 51 percent shooting to UT-Permian Basin in Odessa back on Jan. 11, the TexAnns have gotten back to the basics - defensively. Tarleton has given up just 53.2 points to opponents, while allowing the opposition to just a .371 shooting percentage over the past four games.
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
Texas A&M-Kingsville has won three straight games after falling to West Texas A&M (88-72) in its LSC South Division opener. The streak includes an 83-76 overtime win over Midwestern State in Wichita Falls this past Wednesday.
Angela Franklin led the Javelinas with 17 points, while three TAMUK players poured in double-digit efforts as well. Rochelle Ikeni had a double-double for Javelinas, scoring 11 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
TAMUK entered the week ranked fourth in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 82.6 points a game. The Javelinas have scored into the 100's on five different occasions this season, including a 115-point outing against Texas A&M International back on Nov. 30.
DOWNTOWN JAVELINAS
TAMUK ranks second in the nation in three-point field goals made/game (9.6) and third in shooting percentage from beyond the arc (.405).
Felicia Soza has the sixth highest shooting percentage in the nation from behind the three-point line, as she makes nearly 50 percent (.476) of her attempts from downtown.
TAMUK LEADERS
The Javelinas have four players that average 10+ points a game. Soza leads the field (16.5) and is followed by Kayla Naylor (11.3), Dyana Bullinger (10.7) and Angela Franklin (10.1).
Rochelle Ikeni leads the team on the boards, averaging 6.6 rebounds a game. Naylor leads the team in both assists (89) and steals (43).
The Javelinas are shooting .470 percent from the field, .403 percent from beyond the arc, and .699 percent from the charity stripe.
THE SERIES
The Javelinas lead the all-time series 17-12 despite having won just one game in the last 10 meetings. The two teams split last season's series, each winning on the road. Before TAMUK's win in Stephenville last season (82-78), the Javelinas had not defeated the TexAnns since Jan. 9, 2003 - a span where Tarleton won eight straight. The TexAnns returned the favor though, defeating the Javelinas at the Steinke Center on Feb. 25, 73-65.
Tarleton's eight-game winning streak from Jan. 3, 2004 through Feb. 13, 2008 is the longest winning streak from either team in the series.
When traveling to Kingsville, the TexAnns are 6-7 all-time at the Steinke Center.
A LOOK AHEAD
The TexAnns return home next Wednesday, Feb. 3 to host Midwestern State to open-up “LSC Rivalry Week”. Tarleton and MSU will tangle at Wisdom Gym that Wednesday at 6 p.m. and then take the series to Wichita Falls on Saturday, Feb. 6. Tip-off at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Saturday is set for 6 p.m. as well.
Tarleton stays on the road to begin the next week, traveling to Eastern New Mexico on Wednesday, Feb. 10 before returning home to host West Texas A&M on Saturday, Feb. 13.
