NEXT AHEAD
    Tarleton will host the Javelinas of A&M-Kingsville Saturday, Jan. 29 in Wisdom Gym.  With just a 3-14 record overall and a 1-4 Lone Star Conference South Division mark, the Javelinas will be a huge underdog in the contest, but are coming off a 20-point victory over Midwestern State Wednesday.

INTO THE RANKINGS
    Tarleton was ranked No. 23 in the most recent USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division II poll, in accordance with the American Basketball Coaches Association.  This marks the highest ranking for TexAnn program since moving to Division II, and is up two spots from No. 25 last week.
    The TexAnns were also ranked No. 3 in the first South Central regional poll of the season released Wednesday.  They trail only Northeastern State and Washburn in the region.  This also marks the highest ever regional ranking in the program's history.

LEADING THE PACK
    The TexAnns are on top in the LSC South Division standings at 5-0 with their win over West Texas A&M Wednesday.  Tarleton is 15-2 over all on the year and winners of their last five games.

LEADING THE TEXANNS
    Leading the team to a 15-2 record, Shelby Adamson is averaging 17.8 points per game to go with her team-high 66 assists and 41 steals.  Morgan Stehling is contributing 10.0 points per game, while Brittnie Haley adds 9.1 points and Kelsey Benford adds 7.3 points each contest.
    Kiara Wright leads the team with 7.2 rebounds per game, averaging 9.0 boards in conference play.  Benford is second with 6.2 rebounds per game with Haley adding 5.3 boards per game as well.

TEXANN SHOOTING
    Tarleton is averaging .410 from the floor, .321 from the three-point arc and .687 from the charity stripe.  In conference play, the TexAnns are shooting .402 from the floor, .333 from deep, and .694 from the line.

SHOOTING DEFENSE
    The TexAnns are holding opponents to .385 from the field, .326 from the arc and .624 from the line

OUTING THE OPPONENTS
    Tarleton is outscoring foes 71.0 to 58.1 and outrebounding them 38.0 to 36.2 this season.

NOW ON SPECIAL
    Tarleton has a league-leading +12.8 scoring margin through 17 games thus far in 2010-11.  On the contrary, A&M-Kingsville is second to last with a -9.6 scoring differential.

IN THE CONFERENCE
    The TexAnns are No. 2 in the Lone Star Conference in scoring defense (58.2) behind Northeastern State (55.5).  The TexAnns are No. 1 in the LSC in scoring margin (+12.8) and are No. 4 in the league in scoring offense (71.0) behind Central Oklahoma (76.9).
    Tarleton is No. 1 in turnover margin (+5.82) after being No. 1 with 9.4 steals per game.  The TexAnns are tied for No. 3 in assist/turnover ratio (0.9).
    The TexAnns are also No. 1 in offensive rebound percentage (.376), trailing just A&M-Commerce (15.6).  Tarleton is No. 4 in blocks (3.2) as well.

INDIVIDUALS IN THE LSC
    Shelby Adamson is third in the Lone Star Conference in scoring (17.8) while Kiara Wright is No. 10 in rebounding (7.2) and Kelsey Benford is No. 19 (7.2).
    Adamson is No. 1 in steals per game (2.4) and No. 7 in assists (3.9), while Sonya Sundberg is No. 2 in assist/turnover ratio (1.7).  Benford is also No. 4 in blocks per game (1.6).  Lisa Parker is the first TexAnn to break into the top 15 in three-point percentage (.382) at No. 14.

CROWDED AT HOME
    The TexAnns lead the league in home attendance average.  Tarleton is averaging 1,510 fans at home in its nine home games this season. Tarleton has also played in front of more fans than anyone else in the LSC – 18,115.

SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
    The Javelinas are just 3-14 overall on the season, and 1-4 in LSC South Division play so far this year.  Their lone win came against Midwestern State this past Wednesday by a score of 85-65.  A&M-Kingsville has failed to record a road win yet this season, going 0-for-8 in their attempts.
    Novella Thomas leads the Javelinas with 10.3 points per game, followed closely by Chelsea Solis with 10.1 points per game.  Victoria Gonzalez and Rochelle Ikeni take over rebounding duties with 9.4 and 6.9 rebounds per game respectively.
    Overall, TAMUK averages 60.5 points per game offensively, allowing opponents to score 70.1 points per game.  The Javelinas shoot 37.8 percent from the floor, 31.8 percent from behind the arc, and 66.8 percent from the charity stripe.  They also have a -4.4 turnover margin and -3.8 rebounding margin.

TAMUK IN THE LSC
    A&M-Kingsville has struggled for the most part this season, and in doing so, have been towards the bottom of most of the statistical categories.
    The Javelinas rank second to last in scoring offense and fourth from the bottom in scoring defense.  Those combine for the second worst scoring margin in the league at -9.6 points.
    The one category TAMUK is dominant in is blocks, leading the LSC with 3.9 per game.  Gonzalez is No. 3 in the league (1.9) in blocks, No. 4 in field goal percentage (.507) and No. 2 in rebounding (9.4).

ALL-TIME SERIES
    The Javelinas lead the all-time series, winning 18 of the 31 meetings to date in the 25-years since the two teams have faced off.  Tarleton has been the team with the most recent success however, winning  10 of the last 12 games.
    The TexAnns are 7-10 against TAMUK at home,  with the Javelinas last winning in Stephenville on Jan. 14, 2009, 82-78.
    Tarleton won the two teams' most recent meeting in a landslide by a score 91-52 on Feb. 20, 2010.

The game will be broadcast on KSTV FM 93.1, and live video as well as live stats are available on TarletonSports.com.