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STEPHENVILLE – A 16-1 run combined with Tarleton players going 20-for-21 from the free throw line in the second half helped guide the Texans to a 74-67 win over the visiting Ouachita Baptist Tigers at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville on Saturday.
The Texans improved to 7-2 overall and a 3-0 record over Great American Conference opponents this season. The Tigers meanwhile fell to 6-4 with the loss.
OBU scored the first two points of the first half, but following a 7-0 run from the Texans, would not lead again in the period. The Tigers came within two points of the Texans at the 9:29 mark (16-14) and again at the 6:26 point of the half (21-19), but Tarleton closed out the first half with an 11-3 run to take a 32-22 lead into the locker room.
Chuck Guy (G, Jr, Fort Worth) and
De'Andre Upchurch (G, Jr, Flint, Mich.) led the home team at the break with six points each. OBU's Colt Fason matched the six points to lead the Tigers at the break as well.
Damion Clemons (F, So, Dallas) played great defensively in a back-up role for the Texans as a pair of Texan post players got into foul trouble early. Clemons came into the game off the bench and scored five points, pulled down a first half-high five rebounds and had a pair of blocks as well.
The Tigers came into the game ranked fourth in the nation in blocked shots (6.6 per game), but had just one block over the first 20 minutes of play.
OBU came out firing in the second half and again pulled within a bucket of the Texans, going on a 14-6 run to start the second half and make it a 38-36 lead in favor of the Texans with a little more than 13 minutes left to play.
Tarleton stopped the run and quickly countered with a 16-1 run of its own to take a commanding 54-37 lead with less than nine minutes to play in the game.
During the run, OBU was called for a pair of technical fouls which Tarleton converted into four points. Tiger head coach Dennis Nutt was called for a technical foul at the 9:51 mark and then with 9:33 left to play OBU's Nigel Ramsey was called for a technical foul as well. Ramsey's foul was deemed a “Flagrant 2”, and he was immediately ejected from the contest.
The Texans maintained its double-digit lead until the 2:30 mark when a three-pointer from Austin Mitchell pulled the Tigers within nine points, down 66-57. The Tigers would later pull within seven points of the Texans, down 68-61 with 1:54 left following a four-point play on a shooter fouled after making a shot from downtown.
The Tarleton defense prevailed down the stretch and never allowed the Tigers to get back within more than seven points on the way to the seven-point win, 74-67.
Upchurch tied a career-high with 17 points – all off the bench – and
Brian Word (G, Sr, Baltimore, Md.) came within a point of tying his career-high, finishing the evening with 14 points.
Clemons finished the contest with seven points and a career-high four blocks. Tarleton finished the contest with seven total blocks compared with OBU's four on the evening.
After shooting just 28.6 percent from the floor in the first half, OBU shot better than 50 percent in the second half to finish the game with a 40.7 percent effort. The Texans shot 54.2 percent in the first half en route to a 48.9 percent effort on the evening.
Tarleton finished the game going 26-for-35 from the charity stripe and compiled a 74.3 power percentage.
Tarleton won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding the Tigers 42-33. OBU won the turnover margin though, giving up just nine turnovers to Tarleton's 17. OBU went on to score 21 points off those turnovers as well.
The Texans return to Lone Star Conference action on Wednesday, Jan. 2, as the team will ring-in the New Year at home against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Tip-off between the Texans and Javelinas is set for 8 p.m. inside Wisdom Gym.
