STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton Texans are tied atop the Lone Star Conference South Division standings after returning to the win column on Wednesday, and the Texans are set to host West Texas A&M in a key division match-up on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in Wisdom Gym.
The Texans are 18-5 overall and 6-2 in the South Division and tied with Midwestern State in first place. Tarleton is coming off a 73-48 victory at Eastern New Mexico on Wednesday in Portales, N.M.
The Texans are ranked No. 3 in the nation in field goal percentage defense and No. 5 in scoring defense.
On Jan. 23 in Canyon, the Texans defeated West Texas A&M 69-56 while shooting .590 from the floor and .739 from the charity stripe. Tarleton was led by 19 points from Effran Bryant while Devon Hills had 16 and Donta Smith and Corin Henry each had 11. WTAMU was led by Joe Mincey with 18 and LaDarius Hall with 11.
Tarleton was outrebounded 31-23 in the battle, but the Texans scored 24 points off 18 Buff turnovers to help the cause. The Buffs shot .413 from the field and were three-of-13 from the three-point arc while hitting just 61.1 percent of their free throws in the contest.
This season, Hills leads the Texans with 12.9 points per game. Henry is second with 11.1 points per outing while Bryant is averaging 10.9 and Jeremiah Wilson is averaging 10.3. Wilson leads the team with 8.6 rebounds per game and 37 blocks while Smith is second in rebounding with 7.0. Henry tops the squad with 104 assists and 41 steals.
Tarleton is averaging .441 from the floor, .362 from the arc and .684 from the charity stripe while holding opponents to .370 from the field, .313 from the arc and .642 from the line. The Texans are outrebounding foes 37.6 to 32.3 and outscoring them 70.9 to 56.2.
In conference action, Hills leads the team with a 15.3 scoring average and Bryant is second with 13.6 points per outing. Smith is averaging 8.0 rebounds per South Division game while Wilson is second with 7.3.
The Texans are shooting .473 in division play from the floor while hitting .358 from the arc and .698 from the stripe. Opponents are shooting .384 from the field, .306 from the arc and .633 from the line. Tarleton is outscoring South opponents 71.4 to 56.6 and outrebounding them 35.0 to 29.9.
The Buffs are coming off a 68-58 victory in Canyon over the No. 6 Midwestern State Mustangs on Wednesday. WTAMU averaged .511 from the field while holding the visitors to .396. Chris Tuckerand Nick Burns led the team with 15 points apiece.
WTAMU, who is 13-10 overall and 4-4 in the LSC South Division in fourth place, is led by Hall with 12.2 points and Mincey with 12.1 points. Also averaging in double digits is Burns (11.9) and Bijan Dotson (10.0). Dotson leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game while Jacquiese Holcombe is second with 4.9 boards per outing.
The Buffs are averaging .436 from the field, .310 from the arc and .704 from the line while opponents are shooting .435 from the floor, .325 from the arc and .701 from the stripe. WTAMU is outscoring foes 73.1 to 70.3 and outrebounding them 37.3 to 32.7.
The two squads have met 32 times with the series tied at 16 wins apiece. The two squads split last season's contests as both teams won on the road. Tarleton is 9-6 at home against the Buffs under head coach Lonn Reisman.
The game will be broadcast on KSTV 93.1 FM. Saturday is Lingleville, Huckabay and Santo Community Nights where all fans from those towns will get in free with proof of residence. It is also Foster's Home Night, Henderson Junior High Night and SPARD Night (wear your jersey to get in free) in Wisdom Gym. Also, any campers from last summer's men's and women's basketball camps will get in free if wearing their camp t-shirts.
Fans can watch live stats via Tarleton All-Access and fans can also watch the Live Stats.
