CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Texans led for all but six minutes of Thursday night's game, but late foul trouble and a scoring run from the Thunderbirds resulted in a 72-62 loss on the road.
 
The Texans [started off hot; picked it up in the second half] but were unable to [significant downfall] the Thunderbirds on Thursday on the road.
 
Tarleton (13-12, 6-6 WAC) were first on the board, picking up a quick five-point lead courtesy of a dagger three-pointer from Freddy Hicks.
 
Southern Utah (17-8, 9-3 WAC) responded with a pair of three-pointers to give them a 8-5 lead with four minutes past in the half. The Texans answered with a 10-2 run spanning three minutes to take a seven-point lead.
 
Tarleton maintained their slight lead as the teams treaded buckets back and forth. With just under two minutes remaining in the first half, the Thunderbirds pulled to within three points of Tarleton at 28-25.
 
A tough drive to the basket by Javontae Hopkins and a free throw from Hicks sent the teams into their locker rooms with the Texans leading 31-25.
 
The second half started off slow for both teams, who went scoreless over the first two minutes.
 
The Texans, led by Garry Clark's eight straight points, put together a 10-3 run to take a 10-point lead over the Thunderbirds.
 
Southern Utah responded quickly with six points, reducing the Tarleton lead down to four with 12 minutes remaining in the game.
 
The teams stayed neck-and-neck, with the Texans maintaining a slight lead, until the Thunderbirds tied the game up at 52 with just under six minutes remaining.
 
At the five-minute mark Southern Utah picked up their first lead of the second half, but a clutch three-pointer from Shakur Daniel gave the lead back to Tarleton at 58-57.
 
The Texans fell into foul trouble over the last four minutes as the Thunderbirds put together a 15-2 run to win the game 72-62.
 
Tarleton was led in scoring by Hicks, the Fireside District Player of the Game. He picked up 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.
 
Daniel scored 12 points and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Coreyoun Rushin totaled nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.
 
Clark earned eight points and Shamir Bogues totaled six points, three rebounds and two steals.
 
Jalen Thomas scored four points late in the game and Hopkins picked up two points. Lue Williams picked up three points and three rebounds.
 
Tarleton will keep it on the road for their next matchup on Saturday, heading to St. George, Utah to face Utah Tech. Last time out, the Texans got the better of the Trailblazers in a 74-72 victory at Wisdom Gym. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can also listen in on KTRL 90.5 FM.