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Tarleton State University Athletics

TarletonStWBBRecapUtahValley
61
Utah Valley UVU 13-9,5-5 WAC
68
Winner Tarleton St. TSU 16-9,7-3 WAC
Utah Valley UVU
13-9,5-5 WAC
61
Final
68
Tarleton St. TSU
16-9,7-3 WAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Utah Valley UVU 16 13 13 19 61
Tarleton St. TSU 10 14 18 26 68

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Grant Cohen

Tarleton State Women's Basketball wins over Wolverines at Wisdom for fifth straight victory

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Going into the final 10 minutes tied at 42, Tarleton State Women's Basketball closed out the fourth quarter in victory and defeated Utah Valley 68-61 on Saturday afternoon at Wisdom Gym. 

The Texans won their fifth straight game on Saturday, becoming the first Tarleton State Women's Basketball team to win five consecutive contests in the Division I Era. Tarleton State last won five straight games in the 2019-20 season, its final year in Division II. 

Saturday's victory lifted the Texans into third place in the WAC standings, holding a one-game lead in that position. The Texans, who were predicted to finish sixth in the WAC in the preseason poll, only trail Grand Canyon and UT Arlington. 

Senior guard Jakoriah Long led the Texans offensively once again, hitting six 3-pointers en route to 25 points. Having seven 3-pointers and 25 points in Thursday's win, Long is the first Texan in the Division I Era to have back-to-back 25-point games. She is also the first Texan in the Division I Era to have six or more 3-pointers in two consecutive contests. 

"This is the kind of game that tests you. It tests your character, your work ethic and your intensity down the stretch," head coach Bill Brock said. "I thought we did a nice job with turnovers. We only had 11 against their continuous trap defense and that's a hard defense for guards to go up against. I thought our bench was outstanding and came in with a purpose. Jakoriah made some big shots for us again. Our coaching staff did a great job with the preparation and scouting report."

Utah Valley's defense trapped the perimeter from the jump, allowing sophomore center Faith Acker to grab the offensive board and basket to open the scoring for the Texans. The Texans, however, had to go without their leading rebounder for the remainder of the first half when Acker was called for her second foul two minutes into the game. 

The Wolverines took advantage of eight fouls called on Tarleton State in the first quarter to jump out to the early lead. Utah Valley held the lead for seven of the 10 minutes in the first quarter and closed the opening period ahead 16-10.

Dominating the glass in the first half, Utah Valley remained out in front. Long capitalized off an offensive rebound by the Texans to cut the deficit to two points. Utah Valley's defense, however, prevented the Texans from making a basket for the final six minutes of the first half and went up 29-24 at halftime. 

While Utah Valley looked to continue what had worked in the first half, Tarleton State had other plans in mind for the second. After the Wolverines went up by nine early in the third quarter, the Texans responded with a 9-0 scoring run to tie the game. 

Utah Valley answered the bell with a run of its own, scoring five unanswered to retake the lead. The Wolverines looked to go ahead by three following a made layup with 11 seconds left in the quarter, but senior guard Arieona Rosborough spoiled that hope. 

Rosborough, the Texans' leading scorer, recovered the ball at halfcourt and split the defense to bank in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that tied the game at 42 all. 

The Texans took the lead in the fourth quarter and never looked back. Rosborugh knocked down a jumper after a Long free throw before senior forward Andjela Bigović knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game. Tarleton State doubled its lead thanks to back-to-back baskets from Long and a second chance score from Bigović. 

The Wolverines refused to give in, shooting 63.6% in the fourth quarter to make it a one-point game with 42 seconds left. After the Texans missed a shot that would have extended their lead, Tarleton State grabbed the offensive board that forced Utah Valley to foul to stop the clock. The Texans sealed the win by making their final six free throws and forcing Utah Valley to turn it over on its last three possessions. 

Tarleton State goes on the road next week for a two-game road trip, starting Thursday at 8 p.m. at WAC standings leader Grand Canyon. 
 
Postgame Notes
  • Tarleton State won its fifth straight game on Saturday with a 68-61 victory over Utah Valley at Wisdom Gym. The win lifted the Texans into third place in the WAC standings. 
  • The Texans won five straight games for the first time in the Division I Era. They last won five consecutive contests in the 2019-20 season. 
  • Tarleton State is now 11-2 at Wisdom Gym this season, its most wins at home since the 2019-20 season. This season marks the first time in the Division I Era the Texans have posted double-digit wins at home. 
  • Senior guard Jakoriah Long led the Texans once again with 25 points, her second consecutive 25-point outing. 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). 
  • Long knocked down six 3-pointers en route to her 25 points on Saturday after having seven 3-pointers in Thursday's game against Seattle U. Long is 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). 
  • Long has posted three straight games with at least 20 points, averaging 23.6 points per game. Long is the first Texan since the 2022-23 season to have three straight games with at least 20 points (Teresa Da Silva, Nov. 22-Dec. 6, 2022).  
  • Trailing 29-24 at halftime, Tarleton State picked up its first win of the season when they went into the locker room behind on the scoreboard. Their last win when they were down at halftime came on March 13, 2024 against Abilene Christian in the WAC Tournament. 
  • Junior guard Kyriana Jones matched a season-high 10 points off the bench in Saturday's win. Jones last had 10 points on Dec. 7, 2024 against LeTourneau.
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