- Box Score

AUSTIN – Tarleton (2-2) got off to a hot start and never looked back, despite several late rally attempts by St. Edward's (1-3), to claim a 65-53 victory Saturday afternoon.
 
Tarleton went off from the tip-off, winning the opening jump and immediately finding a wide-open Peyton Adamson for a 3-pointer just 13 seconds into the game.
 
The TexAnns didn't stop there as they went on to drain their next three shots – one more from Peyton and a pair of Shelby Adamson - from deep to take a quick 12-0 lead with 17:14 left in the first half.
 
St. Edward's finally managed to get on the board with a layup at the 16:32 mark before Tarleton responded with a quick 9-3 push to extend its lead to 21-5.
 
SEU did score the next four straight to nearly crack double figures, but Tarleton continued its offensive pressure by extending its lead to 20 with just over 5:30 left in the opening period.
 
The Hilltoppers finally cracked double figures at the 5:16 mark, but couldn't get any closer than a 15-point deficit as Tarleton took a 31-16 lead into the break.
 
Despite Tarleton offensive output, the TexAnns failed to shoot a free throw in the first 20 minutes, while the TexAnn defense suffocated the Hilltoppers, holding SEU to just 5-25 shooting in the first period.
 
As play began in the second half, Peyton opened play the same way she did in the first – a quick 3-pointer. The 3-ball started a 7-0 Tarleton run that gave the TexAnns a game-high 22-point lead.
 
With Tarleton leading 38-16, the Hilltoppers came alive and struck for a 14-4 run to force a TexAnn timeout with 13:49 left in the game. St. Edward's opened the second half shooting 5-12 from the floor.
 
Brianna Bledsoe ended Tarleton's scoreless drought with a 3-ball at the end of the shot clock to push the TexAnn lead back to 15 at 45-30 with 12 minutes left.
 
The Hilltoppers battled, however, with a 7-2 run that brought the Tarleton lead to just 10 for the first time since the 16:32 mark of the first half. Tarleton's Morgan Stehling, off the bench, scored five of the TexAnn's next seven to extend Tarleton's lead back to 17 at 54-37 with just over eight minutes left.
 
Turnovers were troublesome for the TexAnns down the stretch, as SEU would eventually get within striking distance at 58-46 with just under four minutes left in the game.
 
With 3:40 left and the momentum in St. Edward's favor, Peyton drained a dagger 3-ball from the right wing to put Tarleton up 61-46.
 
Tarleton maintained its lead down the stretch and went on to the 12-point victory.
 
Shelby led all scorers with 16 points on 5-8 shooting from the floor and 4-4 from the free throw line. Shelby's sister, Peyton, was next with 14 points on 5-10 shooting from the floor and 4-9 from deep.
 
Shanae Lowrance just missed a double-double for the second straight game, leading all rebounders with 10 boards and totaling six points in her return to Austin. Lowrance spent last season with SEU.
 
Tarleton hit 48 percent of its shots while holding SEU to just 35 percent. The TexAnns only went to the charity stripe five times but hit all five.
 
Tarleton returns home Tuesday for a 6 p.m. showdown with Lubbock Christian. A broadcast can be heard on KSTV 93.1 FM.

For more information regarding TexAnn basketball, please visit TarletonSports.com.