THE GAMES 

Opponent: Utah Valley Wolverines 

Dates: Tuesday, March 2 and Wednesday, March 3. Both games tip off at 6 p.m. CT 

Location: Wisdom Gym – Stephenville, Texas 

Opponent: UTRGV Vaqueros 

Dates: Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6. Both games tip off at 7 p.m. CT 

Location: Wisdom Gym – Stephenville, Texas 

TELEVISION: WAC Digital Network  

WACDigitalNetwork.com 

RADIO: Tarleton Sports Network KXTR 100.7 FM 

Kyle Crews, Play-by-Play 

AT A GLANCE 

The final week of Tarleton's debut Division I season promises to be the program's busiest, as the Texans will play four home games in a five-day window beginning with Tuesday's tilt vs. Utah Valley. 

The anticipated return to Wisdom Gym is a welcome piece of news for Tarleton, which played nine of its last 10 games away from Stephenville and last had a Western Athletic Conference home game on Jan. 16 vs. California Baptist.  

The Texans have much to play for despite being ineligible to compete in next week's WAC Tournament while completing the first of four NCAA-mandated transition years. Wins in two of the four games ensures that Tarleton (8-13, 3-6) finishes with double-digit wins – something the team has accomplished every year since former head coach and Texan Hall of Famer Ronnie Hearne took over the program in 2004. A split in the extended home series also guarantees that the Texans exit the 2020-21 campaign with a winning record in home games. Tarleton is 131-27 in games played inside Wisdom Gym since 2009. 

A two-game showdown with UTRGV is perhaps a fitting conclusion to Tarleton's season. The Texans secured their first true Division I win and victory over a WAC opponent in a 79-63 triumph over the Vaqueros on Jan. 27 in Edinburg. The nonconference win kickstarted a midseason resurgence for Tarleton. Since the victory over UTRGV, the Texans have won five of their last eight ballgames and all but one of the wins has come on the road. 

Defense and robust numbers at the foul line have fueled the turnaround. Tarleton has limited its last nine opponents to 56.4 points per game. Division I opponents previously averaged 76.9 points per game against the Texans, who continue to lead the WAC in free throws made (343) and free throw percentage (71.9). 

Foul shooting was decisive in Friday's 62-53 road victory against New Mexico State, which extended Tarleton's winning streak to four games. The Texans knocked down a season-high 36 free throws in an afternoon the Aggies set the WAC single-game record for fouls committed (38). 

The week-long slate of games in Stephenville is a six-game round robin of sorts. UVU and UTRGV played back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday in Edinburg. The Wolverines won both contests by respective scores of 62-54 and 53-50. 

Utah Valley (10-5, 8-4) has won three straight games and needs a sweep of Tarleton to clinch second place ahead of next week's conference tournament. UTRGV (5-11, 1-7) is locked into the No. 6 seed in the seven-team field and will face either the Wolverines or Grand Canyon (16-6, 8-4) in the first round. 

The games against Utah Valley are being made up from a Jan. 29-30 postponement. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: UTAH VALLEY 

Tuesday marks the first-ever meeting between Tarleton and UVU on the women's basketball court. The Wolverines made the Division I transition and joined the WAC during the 2013-14 season. 

INSIDE THE SERIES: UTRGV 

Tarleton leads 1-0 all-time against the Vaqueros following January's win. Emily Cunningham scored a game and season-high 20 points in the win while Marissa Escamilla (17 points) and Iyana Dorsey (16 points) also scored in double figures. Dorsey dished out a career-high nine assists in the 16-point victory. Escamilla and fellow forward Lucy Benson led Tarleton on the glass with nine and eight rebounds, respectively. 

The Texans led by as many as 19 points in the win and used a 23-10 fourth quarter to lock up the victory. The team finished with a season-high 20 assists while limiting UTRGV to 38.7 percent shooting (24-62) from the field. 

LAST TIME OUT: NEW MEXICO STATE 

Tarleton defeated the Aggies on Friday in El Paso despite knocking down a season-low 11 field goals and turning the ball over a season-high 30 times. The Texans led for 32:40 in the contest and never trailed after tying the game at 5-5 midway through the first quarter. The team's zone defense paid dividends, as Tarleton held New Mexico State to a season-worst 25 percent shooting clip (18-72). 

Cunningham recorded the first double-double of her Texan career with an 11-point, 10-rebound effort. The 6-0 junior also dished out three assists and blocked two shots. Benson nearly had the first double-double of her four-year playing career as well, as the Kennedale, Texas native turned in a 10-point, nine-rebound performance. Dorsey was the third player to score in double figures, as she finished with a team-high 12 points. Kandyn Faurie and Benson each set career-highs in made free throws with nine and eight, respectively, to fuel Tarleton's stout effort at the foul line. 

Tarleton then fell 67-43 in the backend of the twin bill in a game that spun an opposite story. The Texans finished with season-lows in points scored, free throws made (7) rebounds (23) and never led in the game. New Mexico State built a 44-26 halftime advantage and added to its final margin of victory in the fourth quarter on the strength of 23 made field goals inside the arc and 38 points in the paint. 

NET RANKINGS 

Through Feb. 28, Tarleton has faced off with four teams ranked inside the top-135 of the NCAA Women's Basketball NET Rankings: Florida (No. 63), California Baptist (No. 87), Eastern Michigan (No. 118) and North Texas (No. 133).  

Utah Valley sits at No. 214 ahead of Tuesday's game while Tarleton is No. 291 and sixth among its eight conference peers. UTRGV is ranked 306th while Grand Canyon is the WAC's second-highest rated team behind the Lancers at No. 152. 

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. 

TEXANS AMONG WAC STATISTICAL LEADERS 

In addition to leading the WAC at the foul line, Tarleton also ranks fourth in turnovers forced per game (17.3) and blocks per game (3.3). 

Dorsey continues to knock down the most 3-pointers per game (2.2) and her 44 triples are tops in the conference. The 5-6 guard is also second in free throw percentage (83.3), fourth in points scored (279), fifth in steals per game (2.0) and 10th in points per game (13.3). 

Escamilla and Benson are two of the top rebounders in the conference. The duo ranks second and fifth, respectively in offensive rebounds per game. Escamilla is snaring an average of 2.7 offensive boards per game while Benson is 2.4 offensive rebounds through Tarleton's 21 contests. Escamilla is fifth in rebounds per game (6.9) and Benson is ninth (6.0). 

Escamilla's 13.5 points per game average leads Tarleton and is ninth-best in the WAC. She also ranks inside the top-10 in points scored (243, 7th) and free throw percentage (68.6, 9th). Cunningham is 10th in blocks per game (0.8). 

TEXANS IN WISDOM GYM 

Tarleton boasts a 131-27 overall record in Wisdom Gym since 2009 and has averaged more than 10.5 home victories in each of the last six seasons. The Texans have never lost more than five games in Stephenville in six years under coach Misty Wilson. 

The team is 39-12 at home dating back to the 2017-2018 campaign. This season, Tarleton is limiting opponents to 53.5 points per game in home affairs and scored 70-or-more points on four occasions. 

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. 

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.