STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Men's Basketball fell victim to a second half UT Arlington rally to drop 67-57 on Thursday night at the College Park Center in a nationally-televised ESPNU contest.
 
The Texans (11-17 overall, 6-7 WAC) are in the middle of the pack in the WAC separated by a game with four teams for the third spot in the league. The Mavericks are one of those teams which drew even with the Texans (13-14, 6-7) with the win. With the loss, Tarleton falls to 0-3 in games on ESPNU.
 
Freddy Hicks made his return for the Texans and led the team scoring 14 points. The senior made five of his 14 shots as well as four-for-six from the charity stripe. He tied for the team lead grabbing six boards and notching three steals. Hicks had missed the last six contests due to a foot injury.
 
Chris Mpaka notched his second-consecutive double-digit performance in as many games posting 13. He tied with Hicks with six boards for the team lead and tallied the Texans' lone block. The junior shot 50 percent from the floor making four of his eight shots.
 
Jordan Mizell was the third Texan to score in double figures adding 10. He recorded five rebounds and tied for a team-high with three steals. He led the Purple and White dishing out four assists.
 
The first half was dominated by the Texans from the beginning. Keitenn Bristow started the scoring with a layup in the paint just under two minutes in to put the Texans in the lead, an advantage they held for the entirety of the first half. Izzy Miles scooped a steal and laid it in for the fourth consecutive points. Mizell made a pair of freebies to put the Purple and White ahead 6-0 to start the contest.
 
Then it was the Mpaka show. Mpaka scored four of his eight first half points on back-to-back buckets to give the Texans a 10-1 lead five minutes into the game. Hicks entered the game for the first time since at ACU with 13:40 to go in the first half. Hicks was responsible for the next four Texan points with a free throw and a layup three-point play. Mpaka scored again to put the Texans ahead at the midpoint, 16-4.
 
Tarleton grew its lead to 14 with back-to-back buckets by Dantwan Grimes and Bubu Benjamin. Tarleton led 20-6 with just eight minutes to go in the first half. Grimes sunk a triple just a minute later in response to a Maverick triple, to bring the Texans lead back to 14. But, UTA didn't give up that easy. The Mavericks outscored the Texans 11-3 over the next five minutes. The Mavericks drained a triple right before the half ended to send the Purple and White into the break leading by six, 29-23.
 
The Mavericks came out a new team in the second half. After Benjamin made a free throw for the first points of the second half, UTA regained the lead on a 10-0 run. Trailing 33-30 with 15:42 to go, the Texans went back on top on a mini 4-0 run. Consecutive baskets by Bristow and Mizell put the Texans back in front, 34-33 with 14:45 remaining in the half.
 
In a second half that saw seven lead changes and three ties, the two squads went back-and-forth across the next ten minutes. Hicks made a tip-in lay-up to give the Texans back the lead, 36-35 ,after UTA made a bucket. A few minutes later, a three-point play by Hicks tied the contest at 39 with just over 11 minutes to go.
 
Over the next four minutes, the Mavs' lead grew to as many as four. Trailing 46-43 with 8:38 left, Mizell made three consecutive buckets to erupt on his own 6-0 run to put the Texans ahead, 48-46. The first two layups by Mizell came off put backs after a pair of his offensive boards. But, UTA tied the game for the final time with a dunk. The Mavs took the lead with a pair of free throws with 5:45 and never gave it back it up.
 
Tarleton State was unable to cut the lead less than four in the final four minutes. The Purple and White cut its deficit down to four with 1:14 to go, but that was the closest they came. UT Arlington closed the final 75 seconds with a 6-0 run to split the season series with a 67-57 victory.
 
The Texans shot 21-for-57 from the floor, a 36.8 percent rate. The Mavs out-rebounded Tarleton, 38-35. Tarleton State won the turnover battle forcing 15 and committing 13. The Purple and White shot 13-for-20 from the charity stripe, a 65 percent rate. Tarleton shot two-for-11 from three-point land. Nearly half of UT Arlington's 53 shots came from beyond the arc. The Mavericks missed 22 of their 29 attempts from deep, shooting 4-for-20 in the first half.
 
Tarleton State has back-to-back weeks with just a single game. Next week, the Wildcats of Abilene Christian come to Stephenville on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Texans will host Dollar Hot Dog Night with all fans able to purchase hot dogs for a buck.