- Box Score

STEPHENVILLE – No. 4 and No. 10 teams in the nation faced off on Saturday night and the Texans showed why they were the  higher ranked team, taking a 79-75 victory.

Right out of the gate, the 3,143 fans in attendance knew it was going to be a physical game.  In a game that saw 17 lead changes and 13 ties, the fans and those watching on Fox Sports Southwest got their monies worth.

MSU got out to an early 5-3 lead, but the Texans rallied quickly behind the raucous crowd to take a 6-5 advantage with 17:14 on the clock.

Tarleton and MSU battled back and forth with neither team willing to give up position.  Momentum changed hands on a constant basis.

By the 14:56 mark, the Texans tied the game up at 9-9 on a Shedrick Haynes' three-pointer from deep.

That sparked a little run for the Texans, who pulled out to a 15-11 lead by the 11:44 mark.  Unfortunately, the Mustangs bounced back and tied the game up at 15-15. 

Once again though, Tarleton pulled away and enjoyed a 20-15 lead at the halfway mark in the first.

The rest of the half was much like the first 10 minutes as both teams battled inside and out, offensively and defensively.

MSU got a little momentum going towards the end of the half and took at three point lead, 29-26.  The Texans nixed the run quickly though and ended the half on a 4-0 run, taking a three-point lead into halftime.

Tarleton led at the break 37-34 in a first half that saw 13 lead changes.  The Texans shot 38.5 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the free throw line.

At halftime, Tarleton had shot 38.5 percent from the field while the Mustangs were red-hot with 52.0 percent shooting.

Shedrick Haynes had 12 points in 13 minutes, while Fabian Wilson added nine points and six boards.

Michael Loyd and Keonte' Logan both had eight points to lead MSU.

The Mustangs came out hot in the second half and took a 40-37 lead by the 18:03 mark.

A big Chris Harrell three gave Tarleton back a 41-40 lead.

Buckets were hard to come by over the next few minutes as both teams jockeyed for position.

MSU battled back and tied the game at 49-49 with just under 12 minutes to play.

That sparked a Texan run though, and Tarleton pulled ahead by its biggest margin of the game up to that point at 54-49.

At 7:23, Tarleton enjoyed a 64-57 lead thanks to some frustrating defense and a patient offense. 

The Mustangs continued to hang with the Texans though and narrowed the lead to 64-61 at the 4:51 mark.  Eventually, MSU tied the game at 65-65 with 3:35 remaining in the game.

A Shedrick Haynes' runner in the paint put Tarleton back ahead by two with 3:17 on the clock.

The Mustangs managed to take a 69-67 lead with 2:15 left on a pair of free throws by Michael Loyd. Another free throw put MSU ahead 70-68 with just under 1:40 to play.

Down a basket, Tarleton had to have a big possession.  They got just that on a lob inside to Fabian Wilson that was laid home and drew a foul.  Wilson converted the clutch free throw and put the Texans ahead 71-70 with 45 seconds to go in the contest.

MSU had the ball and a chance to take back the lead, but Keonte' Logan threw the in-bounds pass off of Loyd's leg to give Tarleton the ball once again.

A foul put Chris Harrell at the line where he hit both and put the Texans up 73-70.  Another turnover gave Tarleton the ball and Haynes was immediately fouled.  He also hit both his free throws to all but seal the victory.

The Mustangs did not give up yet though and Harris hit a big three to make it a two-point game with 16 seconds to go.  The rest of the game consisted of made Tarleton free throws and MSU turnovers and the Texans hung on for the win.

By a final of 79-75, Tarleton defeated Midwestern State for the fourth time in the past year and a half.  With that, the Texans improve to 19-1 on the year which ties the best start in the modern era (2002-03).  That also means Tarleton goes to 11-0 on the season in the LSC standings.  That puts the Texans ahead of MSU by two games and gives them a solid hold on first place.

On the night, Tarleton shot 42.9 percent from the floor and h it 37-of-48 free throws.  MSU shot 49.0 percent from the field, but still fell to the Texans due to 58.6 percent shooting from the line and 8-of-23 from behind the arc.

Shedrick Haynes had a career-high 26 points while Chris Harrell added 19 points.  Both players got 11 made free throws under their belt in the game.  Fabian Wilson also had a big night with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Both teams committed 17 turnovers, but Tarleton managed to out-rebound the Mustangs 33-31.

Anthony Harris scored 20 points for MSU, while Michael Loyd chipped in 17 points for the losers.

Allen, Texas is in the future for Tarleton, but there is still a long ways to go with seven more conference games to go.  The Texans have already clinched a berth in the 2012 LSC Tournament.

“We played in front of one of the biggest crowds I've seen and I think that had a huge impact for us in this win,” said Chris Reisman.  “This is one of the better teams offensively and defensively that we've face but we battled hard and played tough. We stayed aggressive all night taking the ball to the hole and hanging right in there and I'm proud of our guys. MSU is a well coached and well prepared team but our coaching staff is real good too. Nic (Cantrell) and Jabarr (Adams) do a great job for us.”

Tarleton (19-1, 11-0) will remain at home to host A&M-Kingsville at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

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