- Box Score

STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton had a No. 5 ranking and their home court to defend against Eastern New Mexico Wednesday night in Wisdom Gym.  After a tough first half and a 16-point halftime deficit, the Texans stormed back and won 74-69.

The Texans struggled out of the gate and the Greyhounds took advantage.  ENMU hit a three on the first possession of the game and that would soon be the theme for them.

Tarleton countered and took a 4-3 lead on lay-ups by Wes Dipprey and Shedrick Haynes.

That would be the Texans only lead in the first half as the Greyhounds went on to add to their lead.

No matter how tough of defense and how contested Tarleton made the shots for ENMU, the Greyhounds sunk their opportunities.

In the first half, ENMU was 10-for-15 from the three-point line, good for 66.7 percent.  As a team, the Greyhounds shot 60.7 percent overall, unheard of against Tarleton's stout defense.  Trayln Harden was the biggest headache with six three-pointers.

Tarleton shot 48.1 percent from the floor in the first half and 40 percent from three-point range.  Fabian Wilson led the Texans with nine points and two blocks, while Chris Harrell added eight points.  Tarleton also managed to out-rebound ENMU.

By halftime, the Texans trailed 49-33 and went into the locker room with changes needing to be made.  It marked the most points Tarleton had given up in a half all season.

Head coach Lonn Reisman had the troops ready to go in the second half.  The Texans came out on fire and cut the deficit to eight by the 17:03 mark.

Over the next few minutes, Tarleton continued to chip away at the lead.  By the 11:51 mark, the Texans had clawed their way back to a 55-50 ball game.  Up to that point, ENMU only had six points in the second half.  That was a big change from the 19-point deficit Tarleton faced in the first half.

The Texans kept gaining momentum and the most crucial point of the game was when Haynes nailed a three at the 10:22 mark to make it a 57-55 game.   That got the crowd back into the game.

With just over six minutes to go, Tarleton remained two points behind the Greyhounds.

ENMU converted a couple of baskets and the Texans found themselves down 67-62 with under four minutes remaining.

Wilson laid a contested shot in to make it a three point game at 3:05.  A pair of free throws by Wilson on the next possession cut it to 67-66.

At that point, the Tarleton crowd became the sixth man and helped the Texans make a defensive stop with 1:41 to go.  Both teams went on to trade buckets, making it a 69-68 contest with a minute remaining.

Coleman Furst stepped up next and made two huge plays for Tarleton.  On the defensive end, the sophomore guard drew a charge to give the Texans back the ball. The next play, Furst drove through a congested lane and laid it in, giving Tarleton a 70-69 lead with 36 seconds to go.

The Greyhounds went to the line for a one-and-one attempt with a chance to take the lead, but the first shot fell into Dipprey's hands.

Chris Harrell was fouled and went to the line for a pair. Unlike ENMU, Harrell sunk both of his and sealed the deal.  Wilson added two more and the Texans took the 74-69 victory from the Greyhounds.

Tarleton capped off a 24-point turnaround and a 21-point second half turnaround with a stifling defense.

The Texans were highlighted in the comeback with just three second half turnovers and 90.5 percent shooting from the free throw line.

Overall on the night, Tarleton shot 44.4 percent from the floor and held ENMU to 50 percent on the night and 36.4 percent in the second half.

Wilson had his second consecutive 20+ point game with 26 points and eight rebounds.  He also went 9-of-10 from the free throw line.  Dipprey contributed his second straight double-double with 12 points and 11 boards while Harrell added 14 points.

The Texans out-rebounded the Greyhounds and committed fewer turnovers.

"I told them at halftime that we weren't out of the game," said Reisman. "We needed to get back to single digits by the 10 minute mark. Coach Chris (Reisman) put in the press and I think that is what changed the game.  I didn't know what we had left in the tank after Monday, but our guys did not give in.  We battled and earned that victory."

Tarleton has another short break before heading to West Texas A&M Saturday for another LSC contest against the Buffaloes.  Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.

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