Box Score GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – A furious second-half rally fell just short for Tarleton as the TexAnns' season came to a close in the first round of the NCAA Regional Tournament Friday afternoon.
 
Tarleton fell to Lone Star Conference rival Midwestern State 91-78 in the opening round of the tournament at Colorado Mesa University.
 
“The first half just didn't go our way,” said Tarleton head coach Ronnie Hearne. “The second half did. We played hard all year long and these girls gave us everything they could give.”
 
Kiara Wright scored 26 second half points for the TexAnns, who rallied from a 17-point deficit to tie the game late in the second half, but Tarleton ran out of gas in the final two minutes.
 
After Midwestern State pushed its lead to as many as 17 early in the second half, Tarleton put together a furious rally – beginning with a pair of free throws from Wright.
 
The Wright free throws began a 21-8 Tarleton run down to the 12:13 mark to cut, what was once nearly a 20-point deficit, to just four at 54-50.
 
Tarleton continued to claw into the score and finally tied the game at 55-55 with a Wright layup. The teams traded layups to keep it tied at 57-57.
 
MSU pushed its lead back to six at 67-61, but Tarleton answered right back with a Wright layup and a four-point play from Peyton Adamson, who drilled a deep 3-ball from the top of the key and was fouled. Her free throw knotted the game at 67-67.
 
Over the next three minutes, Midwestern led a slim lead – by as many as only three and as few as one – before four straight free throws allowed the Mustangs to extend the lead to six at 80-74 with 4:24 left in the game.
 
MSU pushed the lead back to double figures in the final two minutes as the rally came up short.
 
Tarleton came out on fire from beyond the arc as Bledsoe put the TexAnns up 6-0 very quickly by drilling the first two 3-balls she put up.
 
After that, however, Tarleton struggled offensively as Midwestern State score 10 unanswered to take a 10-6 lead. Bledsoe stopped the bleeding momentarily with another 3-pointer to make it 10-9 at the 15:54 mark.
 
Midwestern State scored the next four before Raven McGrath drove the baseline for a layup to keep Tarleton within three at 14-11. The McGrath layup at the 13:40 mark was Tarleton's first basket inside the 3-point line of the contest.
 
Tarleton would go scoreless over the next 3:50 as MSU continued to build the lead to 23-11. Bledsoe, once again, was the offensive answer for the TexAnns with her fourth 3-ball of the opening half.
 
A pair of Cheyenne Berry free throws, two layups from Wright and one bucket from McGrath brought the TexAnns within eight at 22-30 with 6:33 left, but Midwestern State ended the first half on a 14-7 run.
 
Tarleton went into halftime trailing 44-29, closing out the first half with Bledsoe's fifth 3-pointer of the half to give her a career-high 17 points at the break.
 
For the game, Tarleton shot 37 percent (24-65) from the floor, 44 percent (7-16) from beyond the arc and 79 percent (23-29) from the charity stripe.
 
Wright led the team with her third straight 30-point game to go along with 10 rebounds. She ends the season with a double-double in 14 straight games and 24 for the season. Her 30 points also gives her four career 30-point games, tying Rachelle Bowen for the most in Tarleton's NCAA history.
 
She had just four points and four rebounds at halftime.
 
Bledsoe also finished with a career high 19 points before fouling out of the game. Adamson (11) and Berry (10) also finished in double figures.
 
The TexAnns end the regular season with a record of 19-10 overall and have reached the NCAA Regional Tournament in four straight seasons.