FORT SMITH, Ark. – Mackenzie Hailey scored Tarleton's final six points and grabbed a crucial defensive rebound to seal a big in-region road victory over Arkansas-Fort Smith 67-63 Saturday afternoon at the Stubblefield Center.
Tied at 61-61 in the final 45 seconds of the game, Mackenzie Hailey took over with four of the game's final six points – including the go-ahead layup with eight seconds left – and a defensive rebound that led to a pair of game-clinching free throws with two seconds left to lead the TexAnns to their first road win of the season.
Hailey put Tarleton on top with a layup at 63-61 before the Lions answered at the other end to tie it again. The sophomore forward put Tarleton back on top on the ensuing possession at 65-63 and wouldn't let it get tied again as a three-pointer from the Lions rimmed out and Hailey hauled it in with her sixth rebound of the game.
After a Lion foul, Hailey went to the line and knocked down a pair of free throws to seal it. Hailey finished the game with 17 points on 6-11 shooting from the floor and six rebounds.
The Lions jumped out to an early lead with a 9-5 lead over the opening 3:43 of the game before a three-pointer from Kylie Collins sparked the Tarleton offense. The Collins trey was the first of 10 straight points for the TexAnns, who built a 15-9 lead over the next three minutes. Tarleton maintained a healthy lead over the rest of the opening quarter and ended the quarter with four straight free throws – two from Tiara Tatum and two from Katie Webster – to give Tarleton a 10-point lead in the second quarter.
The teams traded points in the second quarter with eight of Tarleton's 10 points for the quarter came in the midst of an 8-0 run on four straight layups from Katie Webster and Collins. The TexAnns took a 33-23 into halftime.
Out of the break, Tarleton continued to pour it on with a 19-13 run over the quarter that was capped off by a three-pointer from Mackenzie Hailey in the final seconds to send Tarleton into the final quarter with a 52-36 lead.
A Webster layup to start the fourth pushed Tarleton's lead to a game-high 18 points at 54-36, but the Lions wouldn't go away quietly as Arkansas-Fort Smith went 6-7 from the floor and 1-4 at the free throw line over the next four minutes to pull within one at 54-53 with 5:06 left in the game.
Hailey put a stop to the run with a layup on the other end and five more points from Bostad to push the lead back to 61-55. Arkansas-Fort Smith answered back with six unanswered points to tie the game in the final minute.
In addition to Hailey's 17 points, McKinley Bostad enjoyed a career scoring performance as the junior from Kennedale poured in a career high 20 points on 8-12 shooting from the floor while Webster boasted her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Collins also totaled 10 points for the TexAnns.
As a team, Tarleton shot .419 from the floor and .313 from downtown. Tiara Tatum (4) and Shelby Mankins (2) provided the rest of Tarleton's 67 points in the win.
Tarleton will return home Monday night for a 5:30 p.m. game against Arlington Baptist in Wisdom Gym. It will be autograph night following the game and fans are encouraged to stick around and receive an autographed photo from the team.
