LAS VEGAS, Nevada – The TexAnns outscored Stonehill 28-18 to erase a double-digit deficit in the first half and win 49-43 in the first game of the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas.
 
Tarleton (6-3) trailed 20-10 with 3:17 left in the first half, the second straight game to trail by double digits in the first half. But the TexAnns came out with a spark in the second half and used a 17-2 run to pull ahead from the Skyhawks with a 38-29 advantage with 3:45 left in the third quarter.
 
Meagan O'Dell, Raven McGrath and Bailey Wipff all drained three-pointers during the 15-point swing that lasted over six minutes in the third quarter. O'Dell finished with seven points; McGrath added five points and a pair of steals and Wipff finished with eight points.
 
Tarleton was on top 42-37 heading into the fourth quarter when Stonehill hit the opening shot of the quarter to make it a three-point game. Travanti Downes made back-to-back jumpers to build a seven-point advantage. Downes was huge on the defensive end for Tarleton in the second half as the junior pulled down four rebounds and had three steals to go along with her eight points.
 
Stonehill remained within striking distance in the final minutes of the game but Morgan Ashmore drilled a three for a 49-43 lead with 2:56 left. Ashmore finished with a game-high 13 points and a team-best four assists.
 
But Ashmore's biggest impact came at the free-throw line in the final minute of the game where the senior went 4-of-4 from the line to keep Tarleton at a 5-point lead.
 
Leading 53-50 with five seconds left, McGrath dove for a loose ball and came up with the steal that gave Tarleton the ball and sent McGrath to the free-throw line where she sank both shots to clinch the win.
 
Ikpeaku Iwobi had four points and four rebounds for Tarleton. The TexAnns also had 17 points off the bench, led by O'Dell's seven and Averie Mack and Breanna Fuller each scoring four. Nia Jackson added two points and a steal for the TexAnns.
 
Tarleton shot 55 percent in the second half, more than double the percent from the first-half total of 24.
Tarleton will play Montana State-Billings on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT/1:15 p.m. PT for the final game of the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic.