Tarleton State Women’s Basketball travels West to GCU Thursday

PHOENIX – Tarleton State Women's Basketball goes on a two-game road swing this week, starting at Grand Canyon on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Global Credit Union Arena at GCU.

The Texans enter Thursday's game with a five-game winning streak, its longest win streak in the Division I Era. GCU enters Thursday's contest having won its last 20 games. The Lopes are ranked No. 3 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll and are receiving votes in the national top 25 rankings.

The game will be available to watch on ESPN+ and fans can listen to Clayton Neville's radio call on Tarleton Sports Network. Neville will have a 30-minute pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m. and a 30-minute postgame show will follow each game.

MATCHUP NOTES

Tarleton State and Grand Canyon will meet for the seventh time in program history. The Texans are looking for their first win over the Lopes since the matchup began in 2021.
GCU narrowly escaped Wisdom Gym in the last meeting against Tarleton State. The Texans held the lead entering the fourth quarter before the Lopes pulled away late for a 57-53 win on Jan. 18.
The Texans are one win away from the Division I Era record for single season wins.

LETTING LONG LOOSE

After dropping 25 points in back-to-back games last week, Tarleton State Women's Basketball senior guard Jakoriah Long has been named WAC Player of the Week. Long was also named to the NCAA's Starting 5 for Week 15, given to the top-performing players in Division I women's basketball.
The senior guard set a new Division I Era single game program record with seven made 3-pointers in Thursday's game against Seattle U, scoring a season-high 25 points in the process. Long had an encore performance on Saturday against Utah Valley, hitting six 3-pointers and scoring 25 points to lead the Texans to a come-from-behind win over the Wolverines.
Long is the first Texan in the Division I Era to post two consecutive 25-point games. She is the first Texan since the 2013-14 season to post back-to-back games with at least 25 points (Kiara Wright, Feb. 5-8, 2014).
She also became the first Texan in the Division I Era to have back-to-back games with six or more 3-pointers. She is the first Texan since the 2011-12 season to have two consecutive games with six or more 3-pointers (Peyton Adamson, Jan. 11-14, 2012).

LEADERS OF THE WAC

Tarleton State currently leads the conference in four categories: Field Goal Percentage Defense (37.9%), Free Throw Percentage (76%), and Rebounding Margin (7.0)
The Texans are currently second in the WAC in Rebounds Per Game (38.3) and Scoring Defense (57.1)
Tarleton State is third in the WAC in Bench Points Per Game (22.0), Defensive Rebounds Per Game (25.1), Offensive Rebounds Per Game (13.2), Scoring Margin (7.0), Three Point Percentage Defense (29.1) and Winning Percentage (64.0)
Predicted to finish sixth in the WAC in the preseason poll, Tarleton State entered conference play in fourth place with a 9-6 record. They have the third-most non-conference wins in the WAC.
With 16 wins entering Thursday's game, Tarleton State has the second-most wins overall in the conference.

FANTASTIC FREEBIES

Tarleton State has made great use of its opportunities from the charity strike this season, hitting 76% of their free throws as a team. The Texans are in the top 45 in the nation in free throw percentage and lead the WAC in that category.
Tarleton State made a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line against St. Mary's (TX). It is the first time in the Division I Era Tarleton State has shot 100% from the charity strike (min. 10 attempts). It is the first time since Jan. 4, 2018 the Texans were perfect from the free throw line in at least 10 attempts (14-of-14, vs. Angelo State).
Tarleton State was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line against ACU (1/23). It was the second time this season the Texans have shot 100% from the charity strike off 10 or more attempts.
The Texans shot 100% from the free throw line for the second consecutive game, going 6-for-6 from the charity strike at Utah Tech (1/30).
Tarleton State is currently undefeated in WAC play when it shoots 90% or better from the free throw line this season. The Texans most recently hit 14-of-16 free throws against Utah Valley (2/8).
Senior guard Arieona Rosborough has 98 made free throws this season, the second-most in the Division I Era. She is three made free throws away from setting a new Division I program record.

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