STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State Men's Basketball cruised to a 93-63 victory over former Lone Star Conference rival, Cameron on Sunday afternoon at the EECU Center.
The Texans (7-4) improved their perfect record in their brand-new arena, the EECU Center with another 30+ point victory. With the win, each of Tarleton State's seven wins have come on a different day of the week this season. The game counted as an exhibition for Cameron (3-5), marking their first game during the Division I regular season against a D1 opponent since the 2014-15 season.
Cam McDowell notched his second-consecutive game with at least 20 points, and his fourth game in-a-row scoring in double figures. McDowell finished the night with a season-high 26 points and added three steals. He shot 10-for-14 from the floor and three-for-four from deep.
Freddy Hicks notched his second consecutive double-double. Hicks notched 16 points and added 13 rebounds, just four shy of his new Division I era record that he set last game against Howard Payne. Hicks also dished out a team-high four assists.
For the second consecutive game, six Texans scored in double figures.
Leroy Kelly IV and
Kaia Isaac each added 11. Isaac scored in double figures for the third-consecutive game. The senior also added a pair of assists. Kelly IV dished out three assists and three steals.
Cam Thomas scored in double figures for the second-straight game with 10 points.
Malek Archie made his collegiate debut in his second season with the Texans and scored 10 points with three blocks and five boards.
The Aggies never led, but tied the game at six, after a 4-0 Texan run to start the game. Hicks was responsible for six of the Texans' first 14 points. Cameron cut their deficit to one with 12:45 to go in the first half, but then it was all Texans. Isaac knocked down the first Texan triple of the game on the next possession.
With the Texans leading, 19-15 McDowell took control. McDowell scored five consecutive points with a layup followed by a drive to the basket where he knocked it down and drew the and-one foul. He converted the free throw for the three-point play. Thomas scored the seventh-straight point for the Texans. McDowell knocked down his first three-pointer on the next Texan possession. McDowell ran off nine-straight points after Thomas' layup. The Cam duo fueled a 16-0 Texan run in 3:21 by themselves to put the Purple and White ahead by 20, 35-15 with just over seven minutes remaining.
Archie entered the game for the first time in his collegiate career. He came in with a bang, grabbing a basket within a minute of entering the game. He followed it up with a pair of blocks and a steal and score fast break layup. With three seconds on the clock and the shot clock about to expire, Thomas knocked down a triple to give the Texans their biggest lead of the half, 30 to head into the break.
McDowell led the way in the first half with 14 on five-of-seven from the floor. The Texans shot an outstanding, 66.7 percent from the floor, knocking down four from deep. The Texans forced seven turnovers and held a nine-rebound advantage. Kelly IV notched three steals in the first 20 minutes.
Isaac started the scoring with a triple on the Texans first possession of the second half. Then, Cameron responded with an 8-0 run fueled by a pair of threes. Cameron made three triples in the first three minutes of the half to cut their deficit down to 24. The Texans bumped their lead back up to 31 sparked by a McDowell triple and followed up by buckets from Hicks and
Ocypher Owens. Another 8-0 by Cameron brought the Texan lead back down to 23 with 13:49 to go.
In a second half of runs, the Texans used another 8-0 run on four baskets to bring their lead back up to 31. Later on, a 5-0 Aggie run brought the Texan lead down to 21, its smallest of the second half. The Texans responded with their final run of the game with a 14-2 burst. The run featured a pair of fast break dunks from both McDowell and Archie to put an exclamation point on the Texan victory.
Tarleton State shot over 50 percent from the floor for the 46th time and notched their 43rd win in the D1 era. The Texans connected on 39 of their 70 shots from the floor and made seven from beyond the arc. The Purple and White won the battle of the boards, 43-33 and the turnover battle, 18-14.
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.
