HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Texans had the healthiest roster they've had in quite some time, and it showed, as new energy and better play coursed through the team. Tarleton fueled that into an eight-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, but as the game came down to the wire, the Texans' two shot attempts on the last possession of the game were off the mark, resulting in a 59-58 loss.
 
Tarleton (7-19, 1-14 WAC) looked poised to snap a nine-game losing streak, leading 54-46 with 4:15 to play in the fourth quarter at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas, on Saturday afternoon. Over the next two minutes, Sam Houston broke out a 9-0 run to take their first lead since halftime. Mayra Caicedo scooped and scored with 90 seconds left to put Tarleton ahead 56-55, which Sam Houston's Madelyn Batista answered with a layup on the other end. Tarleton came right back on a layup by Emilia Axelsson with less than a minute to play to put Tarleton ahead 58-57. Once again, the Bearkats answered, this time on a jumper by Mikayla Woods.
 
With 24 seconds left and down a point, Tarleton got a good look from outside by Mason Jones that fell short. Axelsson saved it from going out of bounds and found Caicedo outside the arc near the Tarleton bench. Caicedo let it fly just as the Texans attempted to call timeout with 1.5 seconds to play, and the shot nearly banked in that would have given Tarleton the win. Instead, Sam Houston (12-12, 8-6 WAC) escaped with the home victory.  
 
Caicedo was a machine for Tarleton in this one, playing all 40 minutes, recording a career-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, to go with five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Over her past three games, Caicedo has averaged 11.3 points, 8.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
 
In her second game back, Elise Turrubiates achieved Tarleton's second double-double of the season, the first since Teresa Da Silva recorded hers on Nov. 30 at Western Illinois. Turrubiates totaled 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes off the bench.
 
Axelsson scored a career-high 11 points in her 23 minutes. Just six Texans scored in the game, as Da Silva (six points, seven rebounds), Tyler Jackson (six points, four rebounds) and Jones (five points, four rebounds, two steals) also contributed.
 
Makes were hard to come by and rebounds were aplenty on Saturday, as the teams combined to shoot 41-of-121 (.339) and secured 87 boards. Tarleton outshot Sam Houston from the field 20-of-56 (.357) to 21-of-65 (.323), including from distance, 5-of-15 (.333) to 2-of-14 (.143). The Bearkats, one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, won the battle of the boards 48-39.
 
Woods led Sam Houston with a game-high 20 points (6-11 FG, 8-8 FT), adding eight rebounds and five steals. Kaylee Jefferson pulled down 11 rebounds to go with seven points and three assists. Tierney Coleman led the bench with 10 points, adding five rebounds.
 
It took a while for both teams to get going in the first quarter. Jones buried a three-pointer at the 6:30 mark to make it 7-2 Texans, then both defenses shut down any scoring for three-and-a-half minutes. Sam Houston used an 8-0 run to lead 12-9 after the first quarter.
 
In the second quarter, the Bearkats opened their largest lead of the game at six. Down 20-14, Tarleton scored five quick points, then Jackson buried a three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to keep the same deficit entering the locker room, 27-26.
 
Jackson then opened the third quarter with a three to give Tarleton the lead, one they would not relinquish until there were two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Tarleton closed the third quarter with their largest lead of the contest at nine points, 47-38. The Texans then led by eight a couple of times in the final frame before Sam Houston went on that 9-0 run.
 
The Texans will have one more regular season road game remaining. They'll next play at UTRGV in Edinburg, Texas, on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CT. Tarleton's lone WAC win of the season came against the Vaqueros 70-60 on Jan. 11.