- Box Score
KINGSVILLE – The No. 25 Tarleton Texans claimed a 20-point victory Saturday at Texas A&M-Kingsville to keep their distance in the race for the Lone Star Conference South Division title.
The Texans improved to 19-4 overall and 10-1 in the LSC South Division with the road win.
“I thought we shot the ball better in the second half,” said Tarleton head coach Lonn Reisman. “The Javelinas went to West Texas A&M and beat the Buffaloes, and Pete always has his team prepared, and this was a good game today.”
The Javelinas fell to 8-16 overall and 3-9 as Tarleton outrebounded the home team 39-23.
“Defense has carried us all year long, and it definitely carried us in this game,” Reisman said. “I thought our kids really executed the game plan. We are in the grind of the season, and we have to be careful not to tire our kids out.”
The Texans just won the second of five games in 11 days, and Tarleton is 2-0 in that span.
“One of the things that has helped put this team into where it is today is our depth,” Reisman said. “We are pleased with the way our guys are responding off the bench.”
Antwan Mullins got the game going with a layup at 17:34 before Carrington Tankson found Fabian Wilson for a layup 34 seconds later to tie the score at two. Wes Dipprey had a free throw at 15:53 to put Tarleton ahead, 3-2. However, Marcus Ford put the home team up by one with a dunk on an offensive rebound.
Dipprey then sank a three from the left corner to make it 6-4 Tarleton before Nick Mosley had two free throws at 12:05 to make it 8-4 Tarleton. Ford then got a tip and added a free throw later to cut the lead to one. Warren Webb got a jumper at 8:13 before Mullins and Ford got two straight buckets to put TAMUK ahead, 11-10.
Donta Smith then got a steal and a fastbreak dunk to return the lead to the visitors, but a layup by Mullins made it 13-12 in favor of the Javelinas at 6:12. Dipprey then got a putback before Smith found the junior for a layup to put Tarleton ahead 16-13 with 4:20 left in the first period.
Ricky Simon had a layup to cut the lead to one, but Wilson had two free throws before Devon Hills nailed a three for the Texans to make it 21-15 with 2:25 left in the opening period. Phillip Belford had a three before Adam Morris had two free throws. The last points of the first half came from Coleman Furst with a jumper with 60 seconds left to put Tarleton up 23-20 at the half.
Corin Henry got his first bucket of the game with a three from the top of the key 1:17 into the second period before Smith got a layup to stretch the Texan lead eight, 28-20. Mullins got the first bucket for the home team 4:10 into the half to cut the lead to six before Henry nailed a three for the Texans. The two teams traded points before Henry had a layup to make it 33-24 with 13:08 on the clock.
The two teams again traded buckets before Wilson got a putback and Mosley got a layup to put Tarleton ahead by 12, 39-27. Mooris had a jumper in the paint before Mosley had another layup. Then, Hills was called for a foul on Morris as he was shooting a three, and the Javelina hit all three bonus shots to make it a nine-point game (41-32).
Hills and Henry each had one free throw before Ryan Wallace had a jumper. Smith had a jumper for the Texans before Henry had a free throw and then a jumper in the paint on the next trip down the floor. Tarleton led 48-34 at 5:01. Morris then did the exact same to cut the lead to 11 (48-37).
Furst then connected on a three from the right corner to make it a 14-point advantage. Furst then found Wilson open at the right wing for a three to make it 54-37 with 2:46 left in the contest. Smith added a free throw at 2:11 before Henry put two free shots into the hoop at 1:25 to make it a 20-point game. The Texans won 57-37.
Tarleton was led by Henry with 14 points and Wilson with 11. Henry' eight rebounds was also tops on the squad.
The Texans averaged .444 from the floor (20-45), .286 from the three-point arc (6-21) and .688 from the charity stripe (11-16).
TAMUK was led by Morris and Ford with 10 points apiece while Ford led the squad with five rebounds.
The Javelinas averaged .304 from the field (14-46), .111 from the arc (2-18) and .778 from the line (7-9).
Tarleton returns to action on Monday, Feb. 21 at Midwestern State at 8 p.m. in D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls where the Mustangs have won 41-straight games.
