STEPHENVILLE – Despite battling back to take their first lead of the game late in the third quarter, an early double-digit deficit proved too much for the Tarleton TexAnns to overcome in a 75-66 loss to the defending Division II National Champion Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps Tuesday.
 
Lubbock Christian shot out of the gate as the Lady Chaps built a 13-3 lead over the opening three minutes of the game and kept a 10-point lead until a layup from Ikpeaku Iwobi with 12 seconds left in the opening frame pulled Tarleton within eight after the first quarter. The TexAnns went 1-4 from the field with a turnover on their first five offensive possessions of the game while Lubbock Christian built its 13-3 lead over the first three minutes.
 
Tarleton answered the call in the second quarter after an LCU bucket to open the new frame pushed the lead back to double digits.
 
A jumper from Tiara Tatum was the first of six unanswered points to pull the TexAnns within four at 20-16. Tarleton kept its deficit to only four over the next three minutes before an Iwobi layup cut it to two at 24-244 with 3:19 left in the opening half. LCU scored the final six points to take an eight-point lead into halftime.
 
Out of the break, Mackenzie Hailey made her presence known to the Lady Chaps by scoring the first five points of the second half to bring the TexAnns within three at 30-27.
 
Lubbock Christian pushed the lead to nine with 3:40 left in the third quarter before a Tatum jumper started a 10-0 Tarleton run that gave the TexAnns their only lead of the game at 45-44. The Tatum jumper and a Travanti Downes layup were followed by three straight perfect trips to the free throw line from Trejouir Wilson, Iwobi, and Bailey Wipff to cap off the run.
 
LCU scored seven straight over the rest of the third and start of the fourth to push its lead to seven and eventually stretched it to as many as 14 as Tarleton could get no closer than five points in the fourth quarter.
 
Tarleton shot .393 as a team from the floor and .778 from the charity stripe while Mackenzie Hailey registered her fifth double-double of the season with a team-leading 19 points and 10 rebounds. Bailey Wipff poured in 18 points while Iwobi went for 14.
 
Downes (6), Tatum (4), Kylie Collins (3), and Wilson (2) rounded out the scoring for Tarleton.
 
The TexAnns will host Northern New Mexico Monday evening in Wisdom Gym at 5:30 p.m. for an exhibition game. It will not count toward their overall record. Admission will be free for the event. Tarleton will return to its regular season schedule on January 5 at Angelo State.