- Box Score

STEPHENVILLE – The No. 5 Texan basketball team hosted Arlington Baptist Thursday night and sent the Patriots packing with a 77-54 loss.

Tarleton was looking to rebound from their tough game against Incarnate Word by welcoming in the Patriots for some non-conference action.

The Texans jumped out to an early 9-2 lead by the 16:58 mark.  Tarleton continued to pound the ball inside and let their size and height advantage take over.

A 9-2 lead quickly turned into a 16-7 margin, but then Arlington Baptist awoke for a little run of its own.  The Patriots cut the deficit to six at 17-11 with 11:38 to go in the first half.

Tarleton managed to push the lead back to double digits at the 6:36 mark and held the advantage for the rest of the half.  The Texans even lead by as much as 23 with 1:39 remaining.

By halftime, Tarleton enjoyed a 41-20 lead thanks to a dominant, physical presence in the paint.

In the first half, Tarleton shot 47.2 percent from the floor and 62.5 percent from the free throw line.  The Texans held the Patriots to 36.4 percent shooting and forced 13 Arlington Baptist turnovers.

Chris Harrell led the way with nine points while Brian Word added seven points.  Wes Dipprey grabbed six boards as well.  The Texans had just three turnovers to 10 assists.

As the second half got started, Tarleton extended their lead even further.  The Texans made it a 25-point ball game by the first media timeout of the second half, 52-25.

The difference got to as much as 28 in the ball game and Arlington Baptist never had a grip on the second half.

Tarleton continued to push the tempo and relied on the play of Fabian Wilson and Brian Word to take the Patriots out of the game.  Arlington Baptist did not have a single player over 6-4 in their line-up.

In the end, the Texans dominated the Patriots 77-54 on their home court, improving their record to 21-2 on the season. 

Tarleton shot 48.5 percent in the game and held Arlington Baptist to 42.9 percent from the floor.  The most notable statistic was that the Texans forced 18 turnovers and committed only eight in the game.  Tarleton also had 15 assists, six of which came from Shedrick Haynes.

Brian Word was the game's leading scorer with 15 points to go with his three steals.  Wilson added 14 points and seven rebounds while Chris Harrell added 12 points, seven boards, three assists and three steals.

The Texans also dominated the Patriots in the paint, 44-12.

Tarleton had a big win at an opportune time in the season as the Texans head down the home stretch of Lone Star Conference play.  The Texans will have little rest before traveling to Wichita Falls for a showdown with No. 9 Midwestern St on Monday, Feb. 13.

For more information regarding the 2011-12 Texan basketball season, check out TarletonSports.com.