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STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton opens the 2012-13 season this Monday, Nov. 12, as the 17th-ranked Texans host Southwestern Assemblies of God at Wisdom Gym. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. in Stephenville.
 
The Texans are coming off a 27-6 season in 2011-12, where the team finished co-champions in the Lone Star Conference after posting a 15-3 mark in league games last season. Tarleton was an LSC Tournament Finalist last season and then moved onto the NCAA Division II South Central Region Championship in Wichita Falls as the No. 2 seed. The Texans defeated Missouri Southern 69-52 in the first round of the tournament before falling 64-63 in the final seconds to Arkansas Tech in the semifinal round.
       
SAGU is 1-0 on the season after defeating Dallas Christian 81-67 last Tuesday night in Waxahachie. The Lions went 27-11 overall last season, finishing fourth in the Red River Athletic Conference with a mark of 16-8.
 
QUICK HITS
• Tarleton's 2011-12 final national rankings inside the top-100 (296 ranked): scoring defense (1st - 56.3), field goal percentage (52nd - 46.9), field goal percentage defense (3rd, 37.9), rebounding margin (23rd - +6.0).
• Tarleton will open the season with five-consecutive home games from Nov. 12 thru Dec. 1. The Texans first road contest will be on Dec. 5 against Angelo State.
 
NOTABLE STORY LINES
• Tarleton enters the 2012-13 season ranked No. 17 in the NABC preseason coaches poll.
• The Texans have been ranked inside the NABC's Top-25 poll for 18-consecutive weeks heading into the 2012-13 campaign.
• Monday's contest with Southwestern Assemblies of God is just the third meeting between the two schools.
• Tarleton has 20+ wins in three-consecutive seasons heading into the 2012-13 season. The Texans have 20+ wins in nine of the last 11 seasons.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• Tarleton leads the all-time series 2-0, which dates back to 2008.
• The Texans defeated the Lions 79-68 in Stephenville last season.
• Tarleton won the initial meeting between the two teams, 91-48, back on Nov. 18, 2008.
 
TARLETON IN SEASON-OPENERS
• The Texans have won 10-consecutive season-openers since the 2002-03 season. Tarleton last loss in a season-opener came back in 2001 against Wingate (73-83).
• Overall, Tarleton is 21-3 in season-openers under head coach Lonn Reisman.
 
TEXANS PICKED TO WIN LSC
• Tarleton leads the all-time series 2-0, which dates back to 2008.
• The Texans defeated the Lions 79-68 in Stephenville last season.
• Tarleton won the initial meeting between the two teams, 91-48, back on Nov. 18, 2008.
 
TARLETON DEBUTS AT NO. 17 IN NABC PRESEASON POLL
• The Texans finished the 2011-12 campaign at No. 9 in the nation and head into the new season at No. 17 according to a preseason poll released by the NABC on Nov. 2.
• Tarleton is the highest ranked LSC team in the preseaon poll. Midwestern State debuts at No. 23 in 2012-13 after finishing No. 5 last season.
• Including the 2012-13 campaign, Tarleton has been preseason ranked inside the top-25 seven times.
 
TARLETON RETURNS FIVE LETTERWINNERS FROM 2011-12
• Five letterwinners return to the squad from last season's LSC Co-Chmapionship team. The players include; Cameron Lenzy (So.), Coleman Furst (Jr.), Brian Word (Sr.), Davene Carter (So.), and Damion Clemons (So.).
• Also returning to the team are redshirt freshmen Mercedes Lane and Zach Price.
 
WELCOME TO TARLETON
• Head coach Lonn Reisman welcomes 10 new players to this year's squad, which includes incoming transfers Jon Cathey-Macklin (Jr.), De'Andre Upchurch (Jr.), A'Darius Pegues (Jr.), Chuck Guy (Jr.), Davin Riebock (Jr.), and Devin Mitchell (Jr.) as well as four incoming freshmen; Michael Hardge, Kenny Ferguson, Curtis Woods, and Jakob Damstra.
 
LEADING RETURNERS
• Brian Word returns as the leading Texan in scoring (8.1 ppg) and rebounding (4.4 rpg). The senior guard also returns leading the team with 61 assists and 45 steals.
• Coleman Furst averaged 4.9 points for the Texans last season and tallied 54 assists as well.
 
TEXANS RANKED NO. 1 IN DEFENSE LAST SEASON
• The Texans finished the season ranked No. 1 overall in scoring defense for a second-straight year after allowing opponents to just 56.3 points per game in 2012-13. The Texans allowed just 53.3 points to finish no. 1 in 2010-11.
 
UP NEXT
• The Texans hosts the 2012 Taco Bell Texan Tip-Off Classic this coming weekend.
• Tarleton will play UTPB this Friday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. before closing out the tournament against ECU on Saturday, Nov. 17. Saturday's tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. as well.
• A&M-Commerce will also participate in the tournament.