STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Dior Johnson's D1 era program record 42-point night led Tarleton State on the road as they fell at Baylor, 94-81 on Friday night at the Foster Pavilion.

Dior Johnson's 42-point night set numerous records for the Texans. His 42-point effort ties for the most points by a single player in a single game this season in the NCAA. He also set the new Texan D1 era record breaking Jakorie Smith's 34-point performance at FIU on Nov. 9, 2023. His 42 points is the fourth-most ever by a Texan in school history, regardless of Division. Dior set his new NCAA career high only topped by his efforts in junior college where he scored 50-plus in two separate games.

Johnson connected on 17 of his 24 shots from the floor, in addition to six of his seven free throws. He made a pair of three-pointers as well. He played in 31 minutes coming as the first Texan off the bench. He also added an assist and a steal. He accounted for over half of the Texans' points with 28 of his 42 coming in the second half.

In addition to Johnson, Hicks also added his fifth double-digit scoring night. Hicks accounted for 13 points with five coming from the free throw line. The senior grabbed three boards and added a pair of assists. Chris Mpaka notched his first double-digit rebound total on the season collecting 10 with five off the offensive glass and five on the defensive glass. Jordan Mizell added a team-best five assists as well.

Kaia Isaac started the scoring for the Texans. After a steal from the New Zealand native, he finished it at the other end with a wide-open triple. Isaac scored the first five for the Texans with a layup off a Leroy Kelly IV steal to tie the game at five apiece. After a Baylor bucket, Chris Mpaka tied the score once again with a mid-range of his own.

Baylor opened its lead for a brief moment with an 8-1 run to take an 18-10 advantage. In response, the Texans broke out on their own 6-0 run to cut their deficit to two, 18-16. A bucket at the top of the key from Hicks, followed by an Mpaka hook in the paint and a Dior Johnson driving layup in traffic fueled the three-straight Texan baskets. Johnson felt the heat with three-consecutive baskets to score eight Texan points in a row. The junior brought the Texans back within five, 27-22 with 10:41 to go.

Andy Sigiscar found a wide-open lane in the paint to hammer home a dunk of his own and put the Texans back within six, 32-24. Baylor opened their lead once again with a 6-0 burst to take a 39-26 advantage with just over seven minutes left in the half. Cam McDowell found his first bucket of the night off a mid-range jumper. Five-straight Bear points ballooned their lead to the largest of the first half, 18. But, the Texans responded with a 6-0 run with four more points from Johnson and a pair of made free throws from Hicks.

Back-to-back baskets from Hicks with the second on a bizarre tip-play and another Johnson jumper ended the first half scoring for the Texans. Baylor's Cameron Carr brought down a dunk in the final ticks of the half to send Baylor into the break with the lead, 55-42.

Johnson started the second half with his first triple of the game. Ocypher Owens found the scoreboard for the first time on the night with a jumper just outside the paint. Mizell found a loose ball and took it to the other end making the layup and drawing the foul. He converted on the and-one free throw to bring the Texans within nine. After back-to-back Bears buckets, the Texans had their own back-to-back buckets with Johnson knocking down a pair.

Baylor hit back-to-back triples with a third just a minute later in part of a 12-2 scoring run to take a 19-point lead, their largest of the night. But, the Texans weren't done yet. Johnson took over drawing up an 11-0 run of his own. After a made jumper to start his burst with 9:46 left, he followed it up with a floater just outside the paint on the next possession. He capped his run with a step-back jumper between the top of the free throw circle and the arc and a triple to score nine consecutive points. He capped his personal 11-0 run with another on the logo at the free throw line, to bring the Texans within eight, 77-69.

Johnson wasn't done there. After a Baylor basket Johnson continued with three more free throws across two possessions. He followed up with another jumper off a Hicks pass and yet again another jumper to score 18-straight points for the Texans. The Texans were never able to climb back within ten in the final four minutes, ultimately challenging the Bears but coming up just short, 94-81.

The Texans won the battle of the boards, 34-21. The Texans didn't get to the line as much as they had this season but still converted when they got there making 12 of their 14 attempts, an 85.7 percent rate. For just the third time in program history, the Texans shot over 50 percent, 51.6 percent. The Texans made just three three-pointers at a 25 percent clip. The Bears shot 57.9 percent from the floor and made 11 triples at a 40.7 percent rate. Baylor won the turnover battle forcing 21 while committing 15.

Tarleton State will return to Stephenville for another matchup within three days hosting Angelo State on Nov. 20. Tip-off is slated for Monday night at 7 p.m.