- Box Score

STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton men's basketball team took on Incarnate Word Saturday night in Wisdom Gym and looked to improve their conference mark to 3-0.  The Texans did just that as they overcame a stagnant start to conquer the Cardinals, 71-59.

The Texans got off to a very rough start and did not make a basket through the first 6:03 when Brian Word hit a jumper at the top of the key to break the drought.  By that point, Tarleton already found themselves down 10-2.

Through the first six minutes of action, the Texans were 0-for-10 from the floor and just couldn't buy a bucket.

Once they finally got on the board, Tarleton started to get into their offensive sets and the rally began.

The Texans continued to chip away at the deficit over the final ten minutes of play.  Tarleton managed to tie the game up at 22-22 by the 2:15 mark, and took their first lead of the game on a Fabian Wilson lay-up with 57 seconds remaining in the half.

At the half, the Texans had a narrow 26-23 lead.  They held the Cardinals scoreless over the final 4:12 seconds of the first half.  As a team, Tarleton shot 41.4 percent from the floor while holding UIW to 26.7 percent.

The Texans did not attempt a free throw in the first 20 minutes of play.

Shedrick Haynes was Tarleton's leading scorer at the break with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.  Brian Word chipped in six points.

Tarleton only committed three turnovers in the first half and forced six from the Cardinals.  Dionelle Rucker and Jordan Roddy were UIW's leading scorers with seven points each.  The Cardinals went 1-of-11 behind the arc in the first half.

As the second half got started, UIW cut the margin back down to one on the first possession of the game.  After a couple of misses by Tarleton, the Cardinals took back the lead 27-26 at the 18:58 mark.

For the first couple of minutes of the second half, the Texans and the Cardinals traded buckets and jockeyed for position.

Tarleton got a firm hold on the lead at the 15:29 mark on a Shedrick Haynes lay-up.  That basket gave the Texans a three-point lead.  From there, Tarleton continued to build on their lead and turned a three-point margin into an eight-point margin at the 13:34 mark.

Incarnate Word kept battling despite the Texans' surging attack.  Unlike the beginning of the first half, Tarleton was converting on nearly every possession.

With 6:51 left in the game, the Cardinals cut the deficit back down to two at 47-45. The Texans countered with an eight point run that pretty much sealed the victory with just three minutes left to play.

Tarleton led by as much as 12 points down the stretch, their largest lead of the game.

The Texans overcame a slow start to the game and grounded the Cardinals 71-59.  Tarleton improves to 8-1 on the year and 3-0 in the LSC.

Overall, the Texans shot 47.3 percent from the floor and 72.2 percent from the charity stripe.  The biggest stat of the game was the fact that Tarleton committed just five turnovers. 

The Cardinals shot 31.5 percent from the field and went 4-for-25 from three point land.

Shedrick Haynes had a standout game for the Texans and poured in 22 points to go with six assists.  Fabian Wilson added 15 points, while Brian Word added 11 points and Zach Nelson added 10 points.

Chris Johnson led UIW with 17 points and 12 rebounds.  Jordan Roddy added 12 points.

Head coach Lonn Reisman talked about the Texans' performance after the game.

“We will look at the film and see what we need to do to improve,” said Reisman.  “You look good when the ball goes in and you look bad when it doesn't.  They were a very good team and we had to get physical and aggressive to come back.  The five turnovers were exemplary.  That had to happen tonight because Incarnate Word turns turnovers into points.  Ball security was key.”

The Texans will next host Jarvis Christian at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15 in Wisdom Gym.

For more information regarding the 2011-12 Tarleton men's basketball campaign, check out TarletonSports.com.