Box Score
WICHITA FALLS – The Tarleton TexAnn basketball team did just enough on Saturday in Wichita Falls to claim a Lone Star Conference South Division victory at Midwestern State, 56-54.
Thanks to a block by Sonya Sundberg at the end of the game, Tarleton improved to 17-4 overall and 5-2 in the South Division despite shooting 14-of-27 from the charity stripe.
Tarleton had built up a 16-point lead in the second half, but scoring droughts and turnovers led to a comeback by the home team that made the game much closer than it should have been.
“I know it is hard to win on the road, but we were very fortunate to win this game,” said head coach Ronnie Hearne. “Midwestern had a great game plan and they played hard. We got two big defensive stops at the end of the game and that was the difference in the game. We had a lack of concentration at the free throw line, but we are happy to get a South Division victory.”
The TexAnns jumped out to a 9-0 lead thanks to threes by Sundberg and Shelby Adamson as well as a free throw by Morgan Stehling and a layup by JoAnne Jones. Savannah Carver then hit a three for the Mustangs at 14:54 for the home team's first score. Adamson then got her second straight steal and put the ball into the hoop for a fastbreak layup to make it 11-3 Tarleton.
Aqueelah Watkins had a jumper for MSU to make it 11-5 before two free throws by Stehling and a layup by Tara Towns put Tarleton ahead 15-5 with 11:12 on the clock. After an MSU jumper, Towns added a three and Adamson a free throw to put the visitors on top 19-7 with 9:47 on the clock.
The Mustangs then went on a 14-2 run over the next seven minutes to tie the game at 21. Stehling was the only TexAnn to score. Jones had a free throw for Tarleton before an Andrea Buben jumper. Then Kelsey Benford had two bonus shots and a jumper in the paint for the TexAnns to return the lead to the purple and white. Jazman Patterson had two free throws with 22.7 seconds left in the period to give the game its halftime total with the TexAnns ahead, 26-25.
Jones opened the second half with a layup just 26 seconds into the period before Stehling had a jumper and a steal and fastbreak layup to make it 32-25 Tarleton. Jones continued the scoring streak for Tarleton with a putback prior to Adamson getting an old-fashioned three-point play to make it 37-25. Jones had a layup after another TexAnn steal. The run was helped with seven MSU turnovers in the first.
Watkins ended the scoring drought with the backend of a two-shot foul with 13:37 remaining in the period to cut the lead to 13, 39-26. On the other end, Brittnie Haley hit the same for the visitors. Sundberg stretched the lead to 16 before Buben had the Mustangs' first field goal of the half at 11:53. MUS then scored 11 straight to pull within five, 42-37, with 8:37 minutes left in the contest.
With 7:57 on the clock, Haley went to the line to shoot two, and the junior missed both before Patterson hit two on the opposite end to cut the lead to three, 42-39. At 7:32, Sundberg ended a 4:37-drought by the TexAnns with a three from the left wing. Carver and Patterson then had two free throws apiece to make it 45-43.
Breeanna Brown went to the line for MSU to hit two bonus shots to tie the game at 45. Jones scored a basket with 5:34 on the clock to end a 19-3 run by the Mustangs. Tarleton led by two before a TexAnn defensive rebound led to an outlet pass from Sundberg to Stehling to stretch the lead to 49-45. Tarleton had missed five straight free throws before Adamson had two for the TexAnns to return the lead to four, but with 4:01 remaining, Carter nailed a three to cut the lead to 51-50.
With 3:20 on the clock, Brown got a fastbreak layup to put the home team on top, 52-51. At 2:35, Watkins went to the line for MSU and hit the second of two bonus shots. Adamson then got a layup to beat the shotclock before Sundberg stole the inbounds pass. She was fouled and hit the backend of the two shots to give Tarleton a 54-53 lead. The Mustangs then threw the ball away, leading two Adamson free throws as she was fouled. She hit the backend to make it a two-point advantage.
Watkins had a free throw to cut the lead to one. Tarleton missed two shots on the opposite end before Patterson missed a layup on the right side of the basket and Stehling got the defensive board. The TexAnn sophomore missed the first before making the second to make it 56-54 TexAnns with 10.4 seconds on the clock. With four seconds on the clock, Buben shot a three, but Sundberg got the block and Tarleton claimed the 56-54 victory.
Tarleton was led by Adamson with 14 points while Stehling (12) and Jones (11) also scored in double digits. Haley led the squad with seven rebounds as Tarleton was outrebounded 40-27.
Tarleton averaged .345 from the floor, .3286 from the arc and .519 from the stripe.
MSU was led by Carver with 17 and Watkins with 10. Patterson's nine boards led the team as the Mustangs averaged .381 from the field, .357 from the arc and .708 from the line.
Tarleton forced 27 turnovers and turned them into 34 points while Tarleton outscored the foe 24-10 in the paint and 19-6 off of fastbreaks.
Tarleton will return to action at 7 p.m. CST on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at Eastern New Mexico in Portales, N.M.
