THE GAME 

Opponent: Oral Roberts 
Date: Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. CST  
Location: Mabee Center– Tulsa, Oklahoma 

TELEVISION: ORU Sports Network 

ORUAthletics.com/watch 

RADIO: Tarleton Sports Network KXTR 100.7 FM 

Kyle Crews, Play-by-Play 

AT A GLANCE 

Tarleton plays its third nonconference road game against a Division I opponent when it meets Oral Roberts for the first time in 30 years on Thursday. 

The Texans (2-2) are searching for their first win over a Division I opponent while the Golden Eagles (0-4) look to enter the win column for the first time in the 2020-21 season. This will be the second consecutive game in which Tarleton faces a winless opponent playing its home-opener.  

Saturday's 73-58 loss at Lamar snapped a two-game winning streak for Tarleton and saw the Texans struggle uncharacteristically at the offensive end. Tarleton shot a season-low 31.5 percent from the field against the Cardinals and converted just nine shots from inside the arc. Prior to the loss, Tarleton was shooting over 51 percent as a team and topped 75 points in back-to-back games. 

The Texans still rank at or near the top of the Western Athletic Conference in most major offensive statistical categories. The team lead the conference in field goal percentage (46.2), is fourth in scoring (71.3 ppg) and is averaging more than seven made 3-point shots over their last three games. 

Oral Roberts ran the gauntlet on the road to begin its season. The team's losses have come against No. 14 Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Kansas. The Golden Eagles compete in the Summit League Conference and return four letter winners from a team that finished 15-16 overall in the 2019-20 campaign. 

GAME COVERAGE 

Thursday's game can be seen and heard free of charge on the ORU Sports Network. Links for live stats and the video stream can be accessed on the women's basketball schedule page at TarletonSports.com. Kyle Crews will have the call on the new home of Tarleton women's basketball – KXTR 100.7 FM in Stephenville – and worldwide at TarletonSports.com/ListenLive. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tipoff. 

ATTENDING THE GAME 

Fans can purchase tickets to Thursday's game through ORUAthletics.com at https://mabeecenter.com/event/tarletonstate2021w/ or by calling the box office at 918-495-6000. The Mabee Center Ticket Office will also be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on game day. 

Masks or face shields will be required per the City of Tulsa emergency mandate and all fans will be subject to a temperature check before entering the arena. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: ORAL ROBERTS 

Tarleton owns a 2-0 series advantage over Oral Roberts. The Texans and Golden Eagles played twice in 1990, with Tarleton winning both games by scores of 71-64 and 78-66. 

The Golden Eagles are scheduled to make a return trip to Stephenville in 2021. 

LAST TIME OUT: LAMAR 

The Texans were held to season-lows in points scored and field goal percentage (31.5) and led for just 41 seconds of the contest. 

Lamar jumped out to a 19-12 advantage and used a 9-4 scoring run over the final four minutes of the second quarter to take a 12-point lead into halftime. Tarleton trimmed the deficit to six points midway through the third quarter but Lamar converted seven field goals over the remaining 5:30 of the frame and extend its lead to 55-41 and essentially put the game out of reach.  

Emily Cunningham led Tarleton with 12 points - nine of which came in the fourth quarter - while Lucy Benson played a game-high 36 minutes and finished with eight rebounds and four steals 

UP NEXT FOR TARLETON 

Tarleton's game against Oral Roberts is the first of three in a five-day span.  

The Texans host Champion Christian College and Arlington Baptist University on Saturday and Monday, respectively, inside Wisdom Gym. Both schools compete as members of the National Christian College Athletic Association. 

MISTY VS. MISTI 

Misty Wilson and Misti Cussen have spent a combined 44 years as assistant or head coaches with their respective programs.  

Wilson was named the sixth coach in Tarleton women's basketball history in 2014 after a 12-year stint as an assistant coach and following a record-setting run as a player for the TexAnns from 1998-2002. The Texan Hall of Famer has been a part of 334 coaching victories for the Tarleton. 

Cussen earned the top billing for the Golden Eagles in 2012 and enters her ninth season at the helm. She served as an assistant for 16 years prior to being named head coach and has a career head coaching record of 124-126. 

DORSEY MAKES FRESHMAN OFFENSIVE HISTORY 

Her 18 points scored at North Texas were the most by a Texan in a season-opener since 2014 and the most by a freshman under coach Misty Wilson in a season-opening game. 

Dorsey's scoring figure was also a game high. She has been in double-digit scoring by halftime in three of Tarleton's four games and is the only player to have tallied 15-or-more points on three occasions. 

The freshman guard also leads the team in free throws made (18) and is shooting 82 percent from the charity stripe. She hit 10-12 free throws against North Texas.  

Dorsey, who holds Birdville High School records in made 3-point shots in a single season (77) and a single game (6) is tied with Emily Cunningham for the team-lead in 3-point field goals. Four of her 3-pointers came in a single quarter. Dorsey went 4-7 from beyond the arc in the second quarter of the team's win over Bacone.  

Dorsey is currently fifth in the WAC in scoring (14.5 ppg) and tied for fourth in free throw percentage 

CALLIE'S CAREER START 

Sophomore forward Callie Boyles picked as good an afternoon as any to record her first-ever double-double and first Division I double-double in Tarleton history in the team's 76-50 win over Howard Payne on Nov. 28.  

The Texans were without four players against the Yellow Jackets including junior forward Marissa Escamilla, who started the team's season-opener at North Texas.  

Boyles gave Tarleton 25 minutes off the bench - 15 of which came in the first half - and finished with a 12 point, 13 rebounds and five blocks. Four of her five rejections came in the game's opening 20 minutes as did 10 of her rebounds.  

The Denton native then followed up with a 20-point, nine-rebound effort in an 80-39 win over Bacone on Wednesday. Bolyes led all scorers in the contest and it was her first career 20-point game.  

The 6-3 forward currently ranks third in the WAC in blocks with seven and swatted 24 shots for the Texans last year. 

CUNNINGHAM'S CONSISTENCY 

The junior college transfer has scored in double figures in every game and leads Tarleton in field goal percentage (.613) and 3-point field goal percentage (.571). Cunningham is also tops on the team in made field goals (17) and has hit at least four shots from the field in all four of the team's contest. 

The 6-0 forward put forth her best offensive performance vs. Howard Payne on Nov. 28. She connected on 6-9 shots from the field vs. Howard Payne on Saturday and was 4-6 from 3-point land. Cunningham ranks third all-time in Hill College program history in 3-point shots made. 

BENSON MATCHES CAREER-HIGHS 

Lucy Benson's 15 points scored against the Mean Green were the most in a single game by the senior since she recorded 15 points in an 83-75 win over Pittsburg State on Nov. 27, 2019. Benson then tied her single-game high in rebounds (9) vs. Howard Payne.  

Oddly enough, the Kennedale, Texas native has made 33 starts for Tarleton over the last three years but has yet to record her first career double-double. She's averaging career-highs in points (9.7) and rebounds per game (6.8).  

'IF YOU AIN'T FIRST, YOU'RE LAST' 

Through four games, the Texans have outscored opponents 73-52 in the first quarter. Tarleton also shot 53 percent from the field in the opening frame in its first three ballgames.  

Defensively, Tarleton has limited its opponents to 18 combined made field goals. The Texans held both North Texas and Howard Payne to below 20 percent shooting. 

CUTTING DOWN ON THE GIVEAWAYS 

The Texans are turning the ball over an average of 17.5 times per game through three contests and gave the ball away 21 times versus North Texas. The team also recorded just three assists against the Mean Green, which are a single-game low by a team coached by Wilson.  

Tarleton's offensive efficiency improved in its matchups against Howard Payne and Bacone. The team recorded 18 assists in both wins.