STEPHENVILLE, Texas – In the final game of Tarleton State Basketball in Wisdom Gym, Texan nation packed the 55-year-old gym to give it a proper sendoff. In a tightly-contested back-and-forth affair, the Texans fell 71-66 against Utah Valley on Saturday night.
Shortly after the game started, the fans had filled the stands to its full capacity forcing the doors to be shut on the final game in Wisdom Gym. The packed house marked the second-straight sold-out crowd in the final two regular season men's basketball contests.
The Texans (12-19 overall, 7-9 WAC) earned the sixth seed in next week's WAC Tournament. Tarleton will take on the Lancers of California Baptist at 10:30 pm CT. The Wolverines (23-7, 15-1) earned the outright WAC regular season title, before the game even started, with Abilene Christian handing GCU its third loss of the season. The Wolverines will play the winner of the play-in game on Wednesday night.
"What a great crowd we had tonight," said head coach
Billy Gillispie. "They support better than anyone in this league. They come for their love of the sport, the game, the players and the school. These fans have been fantastic. Thanks to all the fans, they were awesome all year, not just tonight."
Prior to the game, the four Texans were honored before their final home game in a Texan uniform. Graduate student manager and former player, Heri Tshiyoyo, guards
Collin Course and
Marty Silvera and guard/forward
Freddy Hicks all were presented with framed jerseys for their dedication to the program over their career.
Hicks became the first Texan to score 1,000 points in a purple and white uniform in Tarleton State's D1 era. The senior became the 18
th member in program history to reach the 1,000 points club. With 8:13 remaining in the first half, Hicks joined the club making the first of two free throws after drawing a foul on his drive to the basket. The free throw was one of his season-high and team-leading 20-point night. Hicks also led the team with eight boards, two steals and tied for the team-lead with three assists. He played all but 13 seconds of the 40-minute contest in his final game in Wisdom Gym.
"You're getting all the good components of a basketball player out of
Freddy Hicks," said coach Gillispie. "He has had a great career so far and it's not over. He made a lot of great plays and was really dominant in the first half tonight. He is a great human being and has a great future ahead of himself."
Three other Texans also scored in double figures.
Keitenn Bristow totaled 13 points and two blocks. He made his lone attempt from deep and made both of his free throw attempts.
Dantwan Grimes made two of the Texans' five triples to record 12 points, his fifth double-digit scoring total in the last six games.
Bubu Benjamin notched 11 points and added three boards. He was a perfect six-for-six from the charity stripe and sunk a three-pointer in 39 minutes of play.
It was fitting that one of the best Texans in the D1 era scored the final first points of the game in Wisdom Gym. Hicks sunk a triple two minutes into the game to be the final Texan to score the first points of a game in Wisdom Gym history. The senior entered the game needing just eight points to reach the 1000-point club. Just a minute later, Benjamin intercepted a Wolverine pass and found
Chris Mpaka who threw down an incredible one-handed slam.
Utah Valley held an early lead, 9-5. Hicks scored his fifth point of the game on a layup, to inch within three of cracking the 1000-point milestone. The Wolverines led by as many as six in the first half. Trailing by six, Hicks broke the press and found Mpaka under the hoop for a 22-foot alley-oop that sent the rowdy Texan fans into pandemonium.
The Wolverines responded with a bucket to regain their six-point advantage, 19-13 with 10:46 to go. The Texans used a mini 5-0 run to cut their deficit down to one in just under two minutes. A jumper from Hicks and a triple from Bristow fueled the run. Hicks scored his seventh point of the night to get within a point of eclipsing the milestone.
Hicks reached the 1000-point club after earning a foul on a drive to the basket. The Searcy, Arkansas, native, sunk his first freebie to earn his 1000
th point in his Texan career. At the media timeout, it was read over the PA and the crowd erupted to show their support for Hicks and his huge accomplishment.
Trailing 21-19 with 8:13 left in the first half, the Texans took their first lead of the evening. Grimes nailed a triple to put the Purple and White ahead, 22-21. Tarleton held the lead over the next four minutes. Back-to-back buckets from Bristow and Hicks put the Texans up four, their largest lead of the half.
UVU used a 5-0 run to regain the lead, 30-28 with 3:20 to go in the half. Grimes tied the game with a bunny jumper 30 ticks later. After the Wolverines scored on their ensuing possession, Bristow tied it again at 31. Hicks gave the Texans their final basket of the half on a fastbreak lay-up to put the Purple and White in the lead, 36-35 at the break.
The Wolverines scored the first five points of the second half to take a 40-36 advantage after the first minute of the second session. Tarleton responded with an 8-0 run to take a four-point lead. Mpaka,
Izzy Miles, Benjamin and Grimes each contributed two points on the run. Hicks tossed another alley-oop from behind the free-throw line, this time to Benjamin for the two points.
Tarleton gained the lead with 15:54 to go in the game and held it for the next 13 minutes. The Texans used a 5-0 run to take a six-point lead, 51-45, with 13 minutes remaining. Benjamin made a pair of free throws and Grimes buried a three-pointer for the five-point swing in 34 seconds. Two made freebies from Hicks and a triple from Benjamin gave the Purple and White a nine-point lead, their largest of the evening.
Over the next three minutes the Texan lead hovered around eight points. Utah Valley cut its deficit to two with a 5-0 run, in a minute and a half span. The Wolverines trailed, 63-61 with five minutes left in the first half.
Utah Valley retook the lead for the final time on a layup with 2:04 to go. With a chance to put the Texans back in front, Benjamin missed a lay-up and the Wolverines turned it into two points on the other end for a three-point lead. In the final 60 seconds Grimes missed a triple to tie the game with 24 ticks left. UVU grabbed the rebound but turned it over on a traveling violation. The Texans got the ball back and gave Grimes his second shot from deep that rimmed out. The Wolverines corralled the rebound with five seconds left. UVU iced the game with a pair of free throws to finish the regular season on an eight-game winning streak with a 71-66 victory.
The Texans shot 55.6 percent from the floor in the first half, the ninth time this season the crew shot greater than 50 percent in the first half. The Purple and White made just seven shots from the floor in the second half at a 26.9 percent rate. The Wolverines made 10 of their 26 shots in the first half, a 38.5 percent rate and 11 of 21 from the floor in the second half, 52.4 percent.
Tarleton State ended the night shooting 41.5 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from deep. The Texans made 17 of their 23 free throw attempts. Utah Valley won the battle of the boards, 35-28. The Wolverines shot 27-for-40 from the free throw line. The turnover battle was tied with each team committing 15.
Tarleton State will make its third-straight appearance in the WAC Tournament next week. The Texans will be the sixth seed and take on the third-seeded California Baptist Lancers. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+ but will be 30 minutes after the end of the first game between Seattle U and Abilene Christian. The Texans will need to win three games in three days to win the WAC Tournament Championship and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament, in their first season eligible to reach the ultimate goal.
