STEP RIGHT UP
    No. 21 Tarleton will host Eastern New Mexico Saturday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. in Wisdom Gym.  The TexAnns return to Stephenville off an eight-point victory at Incarnate Word, while the Zias are coming off a heart-breaking one-point loss to Midwestern State.  Tarleton is 18-2 on the year and ENMU is 4-16.  The TexAnns are also 8-1 at home, while the Zias are just 1-9 on the road.

INTO THE RANKINGS
    Tarleton was ranked No. 21 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.  The TexAnns were ranked No. 23 and have been in the Top 25 for the past five weeks.
    The TexAnns were also ranked No. 2 in the most recent South Central regional poll released last Wednesday.  They trail only Northeastern State in the region.  This also marks the highest ever regional ranking in the program's history.

LEADING THE PACK
    The TexAnns remain on top of the LSC South standings with a perfect 8-0 record.  Tarleton holds wins over ACU, ASU, UIW, ENMU, WTAMU, TAMUK and MSU.  The TexAnns are entering the second round of games with those teams.

LEADING THE TEXANNS
    Shelby Adamson continues to lead the offense with 16.7 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per game.  Morgan Stehling is adding 10.5 points per game and leads the team with 22 three-pointers on the year.
    Brittnie Haley is contributing 9.0 points per contest, while Kiara Wright chips in 7.4 points and Kelsey Benford chips in 7.2 points each game.  Wright is Tarleton's leading rebounder with 7.6 boards per game, followed by Benford's 6.2 rebounds each contest.

TEXANN SHOOTING
    Tarleton is averaging .425 from the floor, .320 from the three-point arc and .680 from the charity stripe.  In conference play, the TexAnns are shooting .443 from the floor, .328 from deep, and .675 from the line.

SHOOTING DEFENSE
    The TexAnns are holding opponents to .378 from the field, .328 from behind the arc and .631 from the line

OUTING THE OPPONENTS
    Tarleton is outscoring foes 72.3 to 58.4 and outrebounding them 37.8 to 35.3 this season.

NOW ON SPECIAL
    Tarleton is currently amidst an eight-game win streak, breaking their previous season high of six set between Dec. 4 and Jan. 6.  Both streaks have come after losses to Southeastern Oklahoma (Dec. 2) and Northeastern State (Jan. 8).

FRESHMAN PHENOM
    Tarleton freshman center Kiara Wright was named the Lone Star Conference South Division Defensive Player of the Week this week after her career performance against Midwestern State Saturday.
    Wright scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help out on the offensive end, but it was her stifling defense in the paint that helped lead Tarleton to victory.  Wright assisted in holding MSU's posts to a combined 5-of-22 from the floor.  She also helped Tarleton hold Midwestern State to just 32.1 percent from the floor, its second lowest mark of the season and  contributed to the TexAnns' 52 points in the paint
    This marks the third time this season that Wright has been named the LSC Defensive Player of the Week.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP
    Tarleton senior center Kelsey Benford was named the LSC South Division Defensive Player of the Week last week.  It marked Benford's second LSC POW after being named Offensive POW on Nov. 29.
    Benford joined junior Shelby Adamson, who has also been named Player of the Week on two seperate occasions this season. Adamson's POW's were both Offensive Player of the Wek.

IN THE CONFERENCE
    The TexAnns are No. 2 in the Lone Star Conference in scoring defense (58.5) behind Northeastern State (54.7).  The TexAnns are No. 1 in the LSC in scoring margin (+13.9) and are No. 3 in the league in scoring offense (72.3) behind Central Oklahoma (75.5).
    Tarleton is No. 1 in turnover margin (+5.15) after being No. 1 with 9.5 steals per game.  The TexAnns are No. 4 in assist/turnover ratio (0.9).
    The TexAnns are also No. 1 in offensive rebound percentage (.377), and No. 5 in blocks (3.4).

INDIVIDUALS IN THE LSC
    Shelby Adamson is No. 5 in the Lone Star Conference in scoring (16.7) while Kiara Wright is tied at No. 8 in rebounding (7.6) and Kelsey Benford is No. 19 (6.2).
    Adamson is No. 1 in steals per game (2.4) and No. 6 in assists (3.9), while Sonya Sundberg is No. 2 in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and No. 9 in assists (3.6).  Benford is also No. 4 in blocks per game (1.6).  

CROWDED AT HOME
    The TexAnns lead the league in home attendance average.  Tarleton is averaging 1,614 fans at home in its eleven home games this season. Tarleton has also played in front of more fans than anyone else in the LSC – 22,484.

SCOUTING THE ZIAS
    Eastern New Mexico is 4-16 overall on the year, and just 2-6 in Lone Star Conference South Division play.  They are 1-9 on the road, and have yet to win an away game in the LSC.
    Overall, the Zias are shooting 36.3 percent from the floor, 64.9 percent from the free throw line, and just 28.8 percent from behind the arc.  ENMU is also being out-rebounded by 3.7 rebounds and out-scored by 7.7 points each game.
    Precious Herrin is leading the Zias with 16.1 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game.  Cat Clay is adding 7.3 points, while Kiara Tate and Krista Ford both contribute 6.8 points each contest.  Tate is also leading the team with 2.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

ENMU IN THE LSC
    The Zias rank towards the bottom of the conference in the majority of statistical categories with the third worst scoring offense and the No. 10 scoring defense.  This combines for the third worst scoring margin in the LSC.
    The only category ENMU breaks the top five in is blocked shots, where they lead the conference with 3.7 per game.
    Individually, Herrin is No. 8 in the LSC in scoring (16.1) and No. 15 in field-goal percentage (.479).  Ford is No. 4 in free throw-percentage (.837), while Herrin is No. 4 in blocks (1.6).

ALL-TIME SERIES
    Tarleton leads the all-time series 20-12, including a six-point vicotry earlier this season in Portales.
    The TexAnns have won the last seven games of the series and 16 of the last 18 meetings.  The last time the Zias came in to Stephenville and won was on Jan. 29, 2000 when they walked away with a two-point victory.