GAME NO. 10

Opponent: California Baptist Lancers 

Date: Friday, Jan. 15  

Location: Wisdom Gym – Stephenville, Texas 

Television: ESPN+ 

John Liddle, Play-by-Play 

Katie Crawford-Morgan, Analyst 

Radio: Tarleton Sports Network KXTR 100.7 FM 

Kyle Crews, Play-by-Play 

GAME NO. 11

Opponent: California Baptist Lancers 

Date: Saturday, Jan. 16 

Location: Wisdom Gym – Stephenville Texas 

Television: Tarleton Sports Network 

TarletonSports.com/watch 

Radio: Tarleton Sports Network KXTR 100.7 FM 

Kyle Crews, Play-by-Play 

AT A GLANCE 

Tarleton is set to play its first games in nearly a month and make its Western Athletic Conference debut when the Lancers come to Stephenville. 

The Texans (3-6) were last in action on Dec. 20-21 at the South Point Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada, and had their games at Grand Canyon on Jan. 8-9 postponed following COVID-19 developments within the program. The team cleared testing protocol and returned to full contact practices on Wednesday.  

Friday's game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ as previously announced. The Texans' Feb. 19 home game against Dixie State was originally slated to air on the network but the Trailblazers announced the cancellation of their season on Jan. 5 

Wisdom Gym has again been kind to the Texans, who won all three of their nonconference home games by an average margin of victory of 45 points. Tarleton is averaging 83.3 points and 10.4 made 3-point shots per game in home tilts. The Texans are 130-25 in games played in Wisdom Gym since 2009. 

The Texans enjoyed a record-setting afternoon in their most recent home appearance. The team set a program record for most 3-point shots made in a single game (16) when it faced Champion Christian on Dec. 12. The Texans 68-point margin of victory and 32 steals were also single-game highs in the Misty Wilson era. 

Tarleton, however, faces a stiff challenge in its bid to continue its run of home success. California Baptist (10-0) is one of the hottest teams in the country. CBU has won 13 straight games dating back to the 2019-20 season and owns the third-longest winning streak at the Division I level. The Lancers, who are limiting opponents to 60 points per game and 23 percent shooting from long range, were picked to win the WAC in the Preseason Media Poll. 

The Texans lead the WAC in free throw percentage (73.0) and are averaging the fewest turnovers per game (14.1) of any team in the conference. Tarleton averaged just 11.4 giveaways per game in its final five nonconference affairs. 

Both teams are new to NCAA Division I basketball. CBU began its NCAA-mandated four-year transition process in 2018 while Tarleton made the jump to the Division I level and WAC on July 1. 

ATTENDING THE GAME 
  
Capacity inside all events in Wisdom Gym is limited to a maximum of 50 percent this season, per Governor Greg Abbott's Executive Order No. GA-28. All fans and staff inside Wisdom Gym must wear a face covering over the nose and mouth at all times, per Governor Abbott's Executive Order No. GA-29. 
  
For a complete list of game day protocols at Tarleton, visit TarletonSports.com/FanGuide 

TICKET INFORMATION 
  
Individual game tickets are now on sale at TarletonSports.com/Tickets. Tarleton Basketball season passes will not be sold due to the limited capacity in Wisdom Gym. Only individual game general admission tickets will be sold. Basketball Season Ticket holders will have their accounts frozen and control the rights to their seats for the following season. Texan Club issued general admission passes will be honored at all games. All individual game general admission tickets must be purchased in advance. No walk-up sales will be allowed this season. 
  
All fans must have a ticket to enter Wisdom Gym. General admission adult tickets are $10 and general admission youth tickets are $6. Children ages 7 and under are admitted free but must print a child ticket online or pick up a ticket at the Tarleton Athletic Ticket Office prior to game day. For doubleheader contests, fans are charged once to attend both games. Tarleton Students are free but must print out tickets beforehand.  
  
Individual game general admission tickets will be available for purchase at TarletonSports.com/Tickets, in person at the Tarleton Athletic Ticket Office or by calling 254-968-1832. The Tarleton Athletic Ticket Office is located on the west side of Memorial Stadium and open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5p.m. The ticket office inside Wisdom Gym is only open on basketball game days one hour before tipoff for will call and complimentary ticket pickup. Tickets purchased online must be printed at home or displayed on a mobile device. 
  
In the event that a game is canceled, fans who purchased general admission tickets will receive a refund for that game. Refunds will be processed at the conclusion of the 2020-21 Basketball Season. 
  
Fans unable to attend the games in person can watch every home game for free online through the WAC Digital Network at WACDigitalNetwork.com. Links to watch road games are available on the schedule pages at TarletonSports.com. 
  
Questions regarding basketball tickets should be directed to the Tarleton Athletic Ticket Office at tickets@tarleton.edu or 254-968-1832. Our policies, ticket information and a map of Wisdom Gym can be found here. 

GAME COVERAGE 

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 for both games 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. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: CALIFORNIA BAPTIST 

Friday marks the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Lancers made the move to the WAC from the Division II ranks after competing in the Pacific West Conference from 2011-2018. 

LAST TIME OUT: SOUTH POINT CLASSIC 

Tarleton fell to North Alabama 72-57 in its first game on Las Vegas Boulevard before battling Eastern Michigan a day later. The Texans nearly completed a 15-point comeback against the Eagles, leading 58-57 with under three minutes to play. EMU closed on an 8-0 scoring run to seal the victory. Tarleton shot 20-24 (87.5 percent) from the foul line and committed its second-fewest turnovers (9) in a game this season. 

It was Tarleton's first appearance at the South Point Classic since 2015, when it competed in the Division II edition of the tournament. 

UP NEXT 

Tarleton makes its farthest trip west this season when it visits Seattle U for the first time in program history. Both games are set to tip off at 5 p.m. CT inside the Redhawk Center. The Texans then return home to welcome Utah Valley to Wisdom Gym on Jan. 29-30. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT for each contest. 

TEXANS AMONG WAC STATISTICAL LEADERS 

Sophomore Callie Boyles' 2.1 blocked shots per game are a conference best. The Denton native has 19 rejections this season and has swatted 43 shots in her career. 

Iyana Dorsey leads the Texans in scoring at 12.8 points per game and ranks first in the WAC in free throw percentage (86.8) and fifth in total points scored (115). The 5-6 guard has scored in double figures in seven-of-nine games for Tarleton. 

Fellow forward and junior college transfer Emily Cunningham has proven to be one of the conference's most consistent shooters. She is third in field goal percentage (52.0) and tied for fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (48.0). The junior has knocked down at least 50 percent of her shots in five of the seven games she has appeared in. 

Lucy Benson is tied for sixth in steals per game (2.0) and has 115 steals for her career. The Kennedale, Texas native needs 58 more steals to enter the program's career records list in the category. 

As a team, Tarleton ranks second in blocks per game (4.2) in addition to leading the conference in free throw percentage and turnovers per game. The Texans are second in 3-point field goal percentage (31.7) as well. 

TEXANS IN WISDOM GYM 

The Texans have never lost more than five games in Stephenville in six years under coach Misty Wilson.  

The team is 38-10 at home dating back to the 2017-2018 campaign. This season, Tarleton is averaging 83.7 points per game at home, won all three of its home contests by at least 25 points, and has yet to allow an opponent to score more than 50 points. 

Tarleton's victory over Howard Payne on Nov. 28 was its fourth consecutive home-opening victory and 13th in the last 14 years. The team's win over Bacone on Dec. 2 marked the Texans' fourth straight 3-0 start to its home schedule. 

NET RANKINGS 

Through Jan. 11, Tarleton has faced off with three teams ranked inside the top-140 of the NCAA Women's Basketball NET Rankings; Florida (No. 59), North Texas (No. 108) and Eastern Michigan (No. 136).  

California Baptist will be the second-highest ranked team Tarleton has faced thus far. The Lancers enter Friday's ballgame ranked No. 79 in the NET rankings Grand Canyon was slotted at No. 117 ahead of last week's previously scheduled matchups and currently sits at No. 127. Tarleton is ranked No. 303 out of a possible 340 teams.  

The NCAA released its first set of rankings on Jan. 4. NET Rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to help set the 64-team field. The NET utilizes two factors in ranking teams: Team Value Index (factors in results, quality of opponent and location) and the team's net efficiency (efficiency metrics scaled for quality of opponent and location). The rankings do not include games played against non-Division I opponents. 

TARLETON ON THE ROAD 

The Texans' 0-4 start in road games and 0-6 mark in games played away from Wisdom Gym is uncharacteristic for the program.  

Tarleton holds a combined 49-43 record in road and neutral site games since Wilson's first season as head coach in 2014-2015. The Texans were 10-2 in away games last year in their final season as a member of the Lone Star Conference and at the Division II level. The team won nine straight contests away from home to close the campaign.  

This year's squad will play more than 60 percent of its games outside of Stephenville and currently has just nine confirmed home games. Tarleton originally was set to host 12 games at Wisdom Gym. The team's Dec. 14 matchup vs. Arlington Baptist was replaced with its game at Florida and home games against Dixie State on Feb. 19-20 are off the table with the Trailblazers electing to cancel the remainder of their women's basketball season on Jan. 5. 

TARLETON AT GCU 

Both Misty Wilson and GCU head coach Molly Miller expressed a commitment to rescheduling the games following last week's postponement. WAC officials indicated conference games can be made up if the teams share a common off week or if the host facility is available at an earlier date.  

The Texans are scheduled to face New Mexico State on Feb. 26-27 on the GCU campus. The Aggies were forced to relocate to Phoenix in November following regulations instituted by Gov. Michelle Grisham that prohibit gatherings of more than five people.  

Tarleton's bye week is slated for Feb. 1-7. The Texans currently have the week of Feb. 15-21 open as well. The Texans' other scheduled road trips are Jan. 22-23 at Seattle U and Feb. 12-13 at Chicago State.