STEPHENVILLE, Texas — For the 82
nd time in program history, Tarleton State Men's Basketball will take on Angelo State, their most common opponent in program history with a Monday night matchup at 7 p.m. in the EECU Center.
The Monday night contest is sponsored by Ebby Halliday will be streamed on ESPN+ as will all home games this season. Will Conerly and Scott Garner will be on the call. The game will also be streamed on the radio by 90.5 KTRL and available online on the Tarleton Sports Radio Network. Live Stats will be provided by Stat Broadcast. For the latest updates, content and highlights, follow @tarletonmbb on Instagram and X.
Dior Johnson notched 42 points shooting 17-for-24 from the floor at Baylor in a 94-81 loss on Friday night. He started his scoring in the first half scoring eight Texan points in a row, eventually totaling 14. In the second half, he orchestrated his own 11-0 run to bring the Texans back in the game and accounted for 18 consecutive Texan points. Johnson set numerous records with his performance that tied for the most points in a single NCAA D1 game this season, most points by a Texan in the D1 era and the most points by an opposing player at Baylor's Foster Pavilion. He now ranks fourth in Tarleton State history for points in a single game, record is 50 by Brandon Burney vs. Abilene Christian (2/1/01). Johnson all made the most and attempted the most field goals in D1 era history. All-time, he now ranks fifth in field goals made (17) and fourth in attempts (24) in program history. Last season, only six players scored at least 40 points in a game against a Power Five opponent, Dior is the first to do so this season.
Freddy Hicks has notched five consecutive games in double figures to start the season. Hicks totaled a season-high 18 points against Merrimack last week. Dating back to last season, he has scored 10+ in nine-straight games with his last four games last season. During his steak this season he has made at least five three throws in each game.
After the first five games,
Dior Johnson ranks 7th in the nation and leads the WAC scoring 103 total points. He ranks 50th in the nation and tops the WAC with 20.6 points per game. Johnson scored 20 in more in every other game this season, totaling three times. In each of those three games he has led the team in scoring, coming off the bench.
Freddy Hicks has always made a living at the line. Throughout his six seasons he has made 499 of his 677 attempts. Hicks tops the NCAA in free throws this season with 37. He is tied with Utah tech's Ethan Potter. Despite Hicks playing six seasons, he ranks 36th among active D1 players in games played (114) yet still tops the free throw list. Hicks is the D1 era leader for the Texans in free throws made, double the second -est Jakorie Smith (160).
Freddy Hicks made 13 of his 15 attempts from the charity stripe on opening night, the second most on opening night in the nation.
Tarleton State is ranked 11th in the nation and second in the WAC in bench points per game. The Texans 213 bench points ranks third in total bench points in the nation. The Tarleton State bench has outscored their starters in four games this season, with their leading scorer coming off the bench in each. Bench points account for 54.8 percent of their points.
Tarleton State is averaging 20.2 made free throws per game to rank 57th in the NCAA and leads the WAC. The Texans are shooting from the charity stripe at a 78.3 percent rate ranking 39th in the nation and topping the WAC. Tarleton State has made 29 free throws in two games this season and shot over 80 percent twice.
Angelo State has started the season 5-0 for the first time since the 2021-22 season when they started 7-0. The Rams have started at least 5-0 in 11 seasons since 1963. Jaqai Murray enters the game as the leading scorer totaling 10+ in each of the last four games. Ja'Queze Kirby pulled down 13 rebounds last game and averaged 8.3 per game. Seven Rams hail from Texas with two being international prep players. Three of their 15 players are freshman or sophomores. The rest are juniors and seniors. Head Coach Vinay Patel lost three times to the Texans in the 2013-14 season as head coach of West Texas A&M.
Angelo State and Tarleton State are very familiar with one another prior to the Texans going D1. The series has met 81 times, the most against a single opponent in Tarleton State basketball history. Tarleton State got the best of the Rams to win the back-to-back South Central Regional Championship games in 2015 and 2016. The Rams and Texans have not met since the Texans went D1, with their last meeting Dec. 5, 2019. Their first meeting date is unknown, but the two faced off 27 times prior to 1988.
Tarleton State will play its second and final game of the week on the road in the great state of Texas. The Texans will travel to Houston to take on Rice at 7 p.m. at the Tudor Fieldhouse.
