ABILENE, Texas – Tarleton State Men's Basketball suffered a 67-56 loss in its first game of the I-20 rivalry this season against Abilene Christian on Thursday night in Moody Coliseum.
 
The Texans (8-13 overall, 3-3 WAC) drop their second-straight contest while the Wildcats (9-11, 1-4) pick up their first WAC win this season.
 
For the second game in a row, junior transfer Dantwan Grimes led the Texans in scoring coming off the bench with 14. He sank a pair of triples in his two shots made from the floor. At the line, he was a perfect eight-for-eight, extending his perfect streak in WAC play to 27, and his total streak to 31 across the past seven games. Grimes played all but 90 seconds in the tilt, his fifth game with at least 30 minutes off the bench.
 
Two other Texans also scored in double figures. Jordan Mizell and Bubu Benjamin each added 10 to the offensive attack. The duo also tied for the team lead with three steals each.
 
Tarleton scored half of its points from the free throw line. The Purple and White made 29 of 32, shooting at a 90.6 percent rate. Tarleton State has shot 90 percent or better from the line in 11 games during its D1 era, resulting in eight losses. The Texans have reached the mark this season three times, all resulting in defeats. The 29 makes from the charity stripe is the most by the crew this season. The Texans D1 era and WAC record is 34 against Utah Valley on Feb. 23, 2023.
 
However, the story of the night was who was not on the floor in the second half for the Texans. Sophomore guard Izzy Miles did not return after playing the first 5:03 of the contest. Freddy Hicks played 13:41 in the first half, but did not touch the court in the second half.
 
Tarleton State started off the game doing what they do best, creating turnovers. After a pair of forced turnovers, Keitenn Bristow made a layup and Benjamin took off for a fast-break dunk to tie the game at four, just two minutes in the game. Five consecutive made free throws gave the Purple and White a mini 5-0 run and gave the Texans an 11-6 lead.The Texans led by as many as six twice in the first half. Bristow sunk his first from deep to give Tarleton a 16-10 lead just six minutes into the contest. Grimes buried his first triple of the night to put the Texans ahead, 23-17.
 
The final six minutes of the half troubled the Texans. Tarleton State did not make a field goal in the final 8:27 and did not score after a Mizell free throw to give the Purple and White a 29-26 lead with 5:59 to go. The Wildcats ran the next 13 points to close the half with a 39-29 advantage at the break.
 
Tarleton shot 13-for-14 in the first half, 92.9 percent from the free throw line. The Wildcats also missed just one freebie shooting, seven-for-eight.
 
The Texans did not fare any better in the second half. ACU scored the first six points of the second half to balloon is lead to 16 with 18 minutes to play. Grimes hit his first shot of the half, a triple to cut the deficit. Down to 13, but it wouldn't stay there long. The Wildcats rattled off the next four to take their biggest lead of the evening a 17-point advantage, 49-32.
 
Tarleton State chipped into the lead but was unable to get it any lower than eight. Trailing 54-40, the Texans used a 6-0 run to bring it within eight. Mizell drained a bucket and four consecutive made free throws by Grimes fueled the mini spurt. But the Wildcats responded with a 5-0 run to bring it back to a 13-point game with four minutes to go. ACU closed out the final four minutes not letting the margin fall below nine, to ultimately win their first WAC game of the season, 67-56.
 
Tarleton State won the turnover battle for the 55^th time in its D1 era and the tenth time this season. The Texans forced 25 turnovers while committing 19, marking the sixth time this season they have forced 20 or more. The Wildcats won the battle of the boards, 35-20. ACU also shot 52.3 percent, the fifth opponent this season to accomplish the feat. The Texans struggled from the floor shooting 27.3 percent making just 12 of their 44 attempts.

The Purple and White will have its first of two Saturdays off during WAC play on Jan. 25. Tarleton State will be back in action in Wisdom Gym on Thursday, Jan. 30 against Utah Tech at 7 p.m. The Texans will close the weekend hosting Southern Utah on Feb. 1. Both games will tip at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.