- Box Score

EDMOND, Okla. – Basketball games between Tarleton and Central Oklahoma are usually nail-biters, and Thursday's game in Edmond, Okla. lived up the stigma as the Texans came back from a 15-point second half deficit to pull within two, but the Bronchos prevailed, 60-57.

The Texans were down 46-31 at 14:26 in the second period, but Tarleton outscored the home team 26-14 over the remainder of the game.  The Texans had a chance to tie the game, but an errant three was just short of the rim as the buzzer expired to drop the Texans to 8-3 overall.  No. 18 UCO improved to 13-2.

“We finally got the run and cut it to two points, and I thought we fought our way back into the ballgame,” said Tarleton head coach Lonn Reisman.  “We had opportunities to win this game, and I am proud of our kids for battling.  I am not proud to lose the game, but if we will continue to improve, we will have some opportunities.”

The Texans outscored the home team 34-25 in the second half as the visitors had a much stronger second half after scoring just 23 in the first half, including just 10 points in the last 11 minutes of the period.

“We are continually getting better, but we have to continue to improve our roles and execution,” Reisman said.  “All you can do on the road is have an opportunity, and we had that tonight.  We just couldn't get it done.  We missed 11 layups, and we did not convert the points in traffic tonight.

Chris Harrell came into the game in the second half and scored 13 points for the Texans, including three key three-point shots. 

“Chris is athletic, and he has gotten better in practice, but we have to continue to grow,” Reisman said.

The first four and a half minutes of the game was a barrage of threes as Tarleton hit four and UCO had three with a layup as well.  For Tarleton, Corin Henry and Carrington Tankson traded threes as Tarleton led 12-11 with 15:29 on the clock.

Over the next 8:36, the Texans would score just five points with a free throw and a layup by Devon Hills and a jumper by Tankson.  However, during that span, the Bronchos outscored the Texans 17-5 to take a 28-17 lead.  Part of that run by the home team was threes from Dauntae Williams, who had 12 points in the first half.

Wes Dipprey had a layup to end the run to cut the lead to nine, but a jumper and a three by Tyler Phillips, who had 11 points in the first period, put the Bronchos on top 33-19 with 1:18 on the clock.  Coleman Furst had a jumper for the purple and white before Carl Curry did the same on the opposite end.  Two free throws by Wale Ogunoye with 15.4 seconds remaining in the period gave the game its halftime score with the Texans trailing, 35-23.  The 12-point deficit was Tarleton's largest of the season thus far.  UCO had eight three-point baskets in the first 20 minutes.

Dipprey had a jumper 23 seconds into the second period and added the backend of a two-shot foul at 18:44 to cut the lead to nine, 35-26.  The Texans missed three opportunities to cut into the lead thanks to UCO turnovers, but Tarleton couldn't capitalize before Williams had a bucket for the home team.  On the opposite end, Wale Ogunoye had a three-point play the hard way to cut the lead to 37-29.  However, Williams had another three before Tankson had a jumper in the paint for Tarleton. 

With 14:57 on the clock, Williams hit Phillips for a three from the left corner to return to the lead to 12, 43-31.  Shane Carroll had an old-fashioned three-point play 31 seconds later to make it a 15-point advantage before Hills had a jumper in the paint and a three from the right corner to cut the score to 10, 46-36. 

Chris Harrell then hit a three from the left corner to cut the lead to seven at 11:47, but a bucket by Williams on the other end made it 48-39 with 11:19 remaining in the game.  Another three by Harrell from the same corner cut the lead to six before a Hills' three made it a three-point game at 9:26 (48-45).

Brent Friday caught an alley-oop for a dunk, but Hills got a layup on the other end at 7:48 to make it 50-47.  Tucker Phillips then had a three from the left corner.  With 6:30 on the clock, Henry was fouled in the lane, and the Texans senior hit the first and missed the second of two bonus shots.  Tarleton trailed 53-48.

With 6:09 on the clock, Williams hit a three from the top of the key before he went to the line 47 seconds later, and he missed both free throws.  Tyler Phillips had one free throw for UCO before Harrell had two for Tarleton to make it 57-50 with 3:09. The Texans then got the ball on the other end, and after a missed layup, the ball was passed out to Harrell in the left corner for a three to cut the lead to four, 57-53 (2:42).  Prior to that basket, the Texans had missed four straight scoring opportunities – a three, two layups and a turnover under the basket. 

With 2:31 on the clock, Jarrod McDaniel hit both sides of a one-and-one, then Tarleton turned the ball over.  However, the visitors got the rebound, and Henry was fouled.  The senior missed both, but he got the tipped rebound.  Donta Smith found Oguonye for a layup to cut the lead to four (59-54) with under two minutes on the clock. 

McDaniel went to the line with 1:16 remaining, and the Broncho junior missed both throws.  With 42.9 seconds left, UCO called a timeout which they did not have. Harrell went to the line to shoot two technical foul shots, and he made both to cut the lead to 59-57.  Williams was fouled with 40.6 seconds to stop the clock, and the Broncho made the backend of the bonus to make the lead three. 

Dipprey caught an inbounds pass and was hammered, but no foul was called.  UCO got the rebound, but an outlet pass was intercepted by Harrell.  The shot clock went off with Harrell in possession, though the shot clock should have been reset.  After the officials looked at the film, Tarleton was given the possession with 3.4 seconds on the clock.

Henry caught the pass inbounds, but a three was just short, and the Texans fell, 60-57.

Tarleton was led by Harrell and Hills with 13 points each while Tankson finished with 10 points.  Dipprey led the squad with nine rebounds as the visitors outrebounded the home team 34-29.

The Texans averaged .404 from the floor (19-47), .450 from the three-point arc (9-20) and .588 from the charity stripe (10-17).

The Bronchos were led by Williams with 23 points and Tyler Phillips with 15.  Williams and Tyler each had five boards to lead the squad.

UCO averaged .404 from the field (21-52), .444 from the arc (12-27) and .462 from the line (6-13).

Tarleton will return to action at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 8 at Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. as the Texans complete the Lone Star Conference crossover action.