Box Score WICHITA FALLS – Superior defense, combined with poor shooting from both teams resulted in the Midwestern State Mustangs downing the Tarleton Texans 50-36 in Lone Star Conference action at D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls on Saturday night.
 
“If you told me that we were only going to give up 50 points to this MSU team, I would have told you that we would have won,” head coach Lonn Reisman said. “If we make just 10 more shots, this is a completely different game. We had a great game plan, held them to just 50 points and we held them to under 35 percent shooting. I would take that anytime when I come here to play.”
 
The Mustangs (11-4, 7-1 LSC) handed the visiting Texans (8-5, 2-4 LSC) its third-straight loss for the first time since Feb. 4, 2009. Coincidently, it was MSU that gave Tarleton that loss as well in an 81-63 defeat that also came at Wichita Falls.
 
In a first half of just solid defense, the Mustangs took a seven-point lead into the locker rooms up 19-12. Both teams combined to go just 10-for-58 from the field, which included a combined effort of 2-for-19 from downtown as well.
 
The Texans shot just 10 percent from the floor, making just three field goals in the opening 20 minutes. Brian Word (G, Sr, Baltimore, Md.) hit a three-pointer for the Texans at the 15:24 mark of the first period, but Tarleton would then go on a drought of 12:38 without making another field goal until Jon Cathey-Macklin tipped in an offensive rebound at the 3:46 mark.
 
The game was tied 5-5 with 14:15 left to play before heading to the break, but MSU proceeded to go on a 9-1 run, which was capped off by Cam Adderly's three-pointer with 6:56 remaining on the clock. Damion Clemons (F, So, Dallas) finally stopped the bleeding for the Texans as he poured in a pair of free throws with 5:31 left on the clock to make it a 14-8 game.
 
Following Cathey-Macklin's field goal at the 3:46 mark, Clemons drained another pair of free throws, but it was Tarleton's lone two points in the final three-plus minutes of the half. MSU closed out the half scoring the final three points and taking the seven-point lead into the break.
 
Both teams had combined for 52 rebounds (26 each) and 10 blocks (MSU 7, TSU 3) in the first half. Despite the great defense from both teams, neither squad turned the ball over more than six times in the first 20 minutes.
 
Both team tallied five second-chance points, but MSU led the half with five points off turnovers to Tarleton's two points.
 
Word came out of the break and scored Tarleton's first three points of the second half and the Mustangs tallied just one point over the course of the first five minutes to pull the Texans within five points, down 20-15. MSU countered though with an 8-4 run over the next four-plus minutes and took a 28-19 lead at the 11:12 point of the second period.
 
The Texans pulled back within seven points of the Mustangs on a lay-up from De'Andre Upchurch (G, Jr, Flint, Mich.) with 10:48 left to play, but MSU countered with a three-pointer at the other end from Keith Spellman and the Texans never managed to get back within more than 10 points of the Mustangs.
 
Upchurch hit a three-pointer with 7:39 remaining to make it a 36-26 game before MSU closed out the remaining seven and a half minutes on a 14-8 run en route to the 50-34 win.
 
The 34 points for Tarleton ties an all-time low in school history for fewest points in a game, and it is the lowest point total for a Texan team under head coach Lonn Reisman. It marks just the second time ever the Texans have scored less than 40 points in the Reisman era.
 
“We are going to continue to get better,” Reisman said. “I am not going to let these guys hang their heads. We have played hard all season long. It is our job as coaches to get these players better and that is what we are going to do.”
 
Tarleton finished shooting just 16.9 percent from the field, while MSU shot 32.1 percent in the contest.
 
The Texans were led by Upchurch, who finished with 13 points on the evening. MSU's Corbin Thomas led all players with 16 points.
 
The Texans return to action this Wednesday, Jan. 16, as the team remains on the road when it travels to play Eastern New Mexico. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. (CST) at Greyhound Arena in Portales, N.M.