STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Men's Basketball is quickly back in action returning home for its of their final four non-conference matchups of the season starting with Howard Payne on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the EECU Center.
 
The Texans are a perfect 5-0 in the EECU Center so far this season. Tarleton State will play two of their next three at home to round out the non-conference slate. The Purple and White have always been successful at home boasting a 56-17 home record in their D1 era.
 
The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ with Jeremy Bryant and Hek'ma Harrison 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.
 
Freddy Hicks set a new Division I era program record with 17 total rebounds against Howard Payne. He broke the previous record of 14 most recently set by KiAndre Gaddy. Hicks also posted the first Texan double-double of the season adding 12 points. He was just three assists short of a triple double, ending the night with seven. The senior also set a new D1 era record with 14 defensive rebounds and is now tied for third most all-time in program history. He is one of 20 D1 players this season to record at least 17 rebounds in a single game. His previous career high was 13 set twice with the last time against Utah Tech in 2021. Each of the five times as a Texan that Hicks has grabbed double digit rebounds, he has earned a double-double.
 
True freshman Leroy Kelly IV has notched a pair of games with at least six steals this season. In the Texans last game against Howard Payne he set a new Texan season-high with eight steals. Kelly IV ranks 17th in the nation with 22 total steals and tops the WAC. He is one of eight player this season to record eight or more steals in a single game. He is one of five players in the NCAA this season to have at least 6 steals in multiple games. Kelly IV is the only freshman to have at least six steals in two or more games. He is also one of five freshmen to record at least six steals in a game this year.
 
Tarleton State is sixth in the nation and leads the WAC in bench points per game. The Texans 401 bench points leads the nation in total bench points. The Tarleton State bench has outscored their starters in seven games this season, with their leading scorer coming off the bench in each. Bench points account for 53.8 percent of their total points.
 
A common power of all Billy Gillispie teams has been a strong defense. Once again, this team has one of the best in the country. The Texans ranked third in the nation in forced turnovers per game (18.8) a stat that they ranked second in at the conclusion of last season. The Purple and White are second in the WAC and 24th in the nation with 10.1 steals per game. The Texans are 5-2 this season when they win the turnover battle, 72-48 in their D1 era.
 
Six Texans each scored in double figures for the first time in the Division I era. It marked the first time since 2015 against Bacone that six Texans reached double figures. Five Texans also scored at least 15, also a new D1 era program record. The Texans scored 119 total points to set a new D1 era program record, the 2nd most since 1988. The Texans broke the previous D1 record of 114 on Dec. 21, 2022, against Huston-Tillotson. Tarleton State also notched a season-best 67 bench points.
 
To begin the season, the Texans have won their first six games each on different days of the week. Tarleton State has not played on a Sunday yet this season and with a win will have notched exactly one win on each of the seven days of the week. The Texans are undefeated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tarleton State has two losses in Monday games this year.
 
Leading scorer Jordan Mitchell has score 20+ in four games this season, including dropping 31 vs. SE Okla. State. The Aggies shoot the three-ball nailing 10.0 made triples per game, which is 40th in the nation in D2 and third in the league. Cameron has not played against a D1 opponent during the D1 regular season since UTSA in the 2014-25 season. UTSA won, 79-68. Cameron has scrimmaged Texas State twice, when it counted for an exhibition for both schools. Head coach Nathan Kennedy is 3-5 in his first year at the helm of the program.
 
The Texans have won the last seven games in the series in Stephenville. Sunday will mark the first meeting in the EECU Center. Tarleton State has also won 18 of the last 19 and own a 20-2 record at home against the Aggies since 1988. The Texans are 7-1 in the series when they score at least 80 points. The most points by the Texans in the series is 87 with the largest margin of victory, 38. The Purple and White are 2-0 when the games go to OT. This will mark the first meeting against Cameron for head coach Billy Gillispie.
 
Tarleton State will have eight days off before their final non-conference road trip of the season. The Texans will head to Itta Bena, Miss. to take on Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 16. Tip is slated for 6 p.m. at the R.W. Harrison HPER Complex.