The Teams: Tarleton Texans (0-1, 0-0 WAC) vs. Champion Christian Tigers (3-1, 0-0 NCCAA Southwest)
Where: Stephenville, Texas
Arena: Wisdom Gym
Day and Time: Saturday at 2 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ (Chris Mycoskie)
Radio: Tarleton Sports Network on 90.5 FM (Kyle Crews)
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• This is the second time these programs have ever matched up. Last season, on Dec. 12, these two played at Wisdom Gym, with Tarleton winning 95-27. The 68-point win is the largest margin of victory in Tarleton history. The Texans set a new program record for most three-point makes in a game with 16. They also scored 46 points off of 32 turnovers.
• Champion Christian plays in the NCCAA Southwest Region, winning the NCCAA National Championship last season. They finished second in the NCCAA in scoring.

 
QUICK HITS

• This is the first of three straight home games for Tarleton, the longest homestand of the season.
• The Texans have won four straight home openers and are 6-1 in their first home game of a season under head coach Misty Wilson.
• There are nine newcomers, 10 new contributors for the Texans of the 15 players on the roster. Malaya Kendrick redshirted last season with the purple and white.
• With so many new faces, the team doesn't lack experience, with the majority of the roster being upperclassmen. Tarleton has six seniors.
• In her Tarleton debut, Malaya Kendrick tallied six points and 10 rebounds against Arkansas, earning four points and seven rebounds in the first quarter alone. She became the first Texan with 10+ rebounds in the season-opener since 2016-17 (Mackenzie Hailey).
• Seynabou Thiam scored the first points of Tarleton's 2021-22 season on a turn-around hook shot.
• Against Arkansas, all 15 Texans got playing time, with nine logging 10+ minutes.
• Tarleton's top two scorers from last season are two of the five returners. Marissa Escamilla averaged a career-high 14.2 points last season. She's increased her PPG from 1.8 in 2018-19, to 9.2 in 2019-20, to 14.2 in 2020-21. Iyana Dorsey started all 25 games for the Texans last season. She was one of three freshmen to earn all-conference honors after averaging 13.8 PPG.

 
WHO'S HOT

• Malaya Kendrick – Kendrick made her Tarleton debut against Arkansas, posting four points and seven rebounds in the first quarter alone. She finished with six points and 10 rebounds, the first Texan with double-digit rebounds in the season opener since 2016-17 (Mackenzie Hailey).
• Tyler Jackson – Jackson led the Texans in scoring in the season opener with eight points. It's the second most points she's had in a game in her collegiate career, just short of her 10-point outing against Jackson State while with Louisiana Tech on Dec. 8, 2020.
• Seynabou Thiam – In her Tarleton debut, Thiam scored the first points for the Texans this season, finishing with six points and four blocks. In three of the last five years, the individual season-high for blocks was four across the whole season, and the 6-6 center had four in her very first game.

 
NUMBERS TO KNOW
68: The LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY in Tarleton history is 68 points, set against this very Champion Christian team just last season. The final score was 95-27.
 
16: Against Champion Christian last year, Tarleton made a program record 16 THREE-POINTERS. The Texans shattered their previous record of 13 three-point makes, set during a 73-71 OT win over Lubbock Christian on Nov. 28, 2014.
 
32: The 32 TURNOVERS the Texans forced upon Champion Christian last season are a single-game high amongst a Misty Wilson-coached team. The Texans scored 46 points off TOs and recorded 20 steals.
 
10: Tarleton has nine newcomers and 10 new CONTRIBUTORS, as Malaya Kendrick redshirted last season. The five returning contributors are Lucy Benson, Iyana Dorsey, Emily Cunningham, Kaitlyn Guillory, Marissa Escamilla.
 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will host Paul Quinn at Wisdom Gym on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT. This will be Tarleton's 11th game against the Tigers, although it's the first meeting in over 30 years. The Texans are 8-2 all-time against Paul Quinn, last facing them in 1990.