ST. GEORGE, Utah — Tarleton State Men's Basketball fell behind early and was never able to recover, falling to Utah Tech, 75-71, on Saturday night in Burns Area.

The Texans (11-8 overall, 2-4 WAC) dropped the first of three meetings with the Trailblazers (10-10, 3-3) this season, with this being the only game in St. George. The Purple and White will host Utah Tech in the EECU Center twice in the final 12 games of the season.

Cam McDowell led the Texans in scoring for the fourth time this year with his seventh game scoring 20 or more. The senior finished the night with a game-best 25, in his second start. He made ten of his 24 shots from the floor and was four-for-five from the free throw line. The guard dished out a team-high five assists and also tied for the team-lead with three steals and added three boards.

Two other Texans also scored in double figures. Dior Johnson scored 11 off the bench and Chris Mpaka notched 11 as well, his third-straight game in double figures. Johnson tallied a pair of steals and two boards in just over 18 and a half minutes of action. Mpaka improved his record to 8-0 on winning opening tip-offs on the road and grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.

Head coach Billy Gillispie was not with the team, as he was under the weather. Associate head coach Glynn Cyprien filled in on the bench for Gillispie.

Once again, the Texans fell behind early to start the half. Utah Tech scored the first basket and kept the lead throughout the entirety of the game. The Trailblazers burst out to an 11-2 lead forcing a Tarleton State timeout in the first four minutes of play. DJ Dormu scored out of the break to get the Texans back, but their deficit grew back to nine shortly after. Trailing 15-6, McDowell knocked down a triple and Johnson made a jumper to bring the deficit back within four, 15-11, with 13:48 to go in the half.

Back-to-back buckets from Matyas Vrabel and Johnson brought the Purple and White within two, 17-15 at the midpoint of the first half. But, the Trailblazers responded with a 7-0 run to distance themselves once again. The Texans cut their deficit down to three in the final five minutes of the half courtesy of back-to-back buckets from Johnson and Mpaka. In the final seconds of the half, McDowell drove the length of the court to make a layup and send the Purple and White into the break trailing by three, 34-31.

The second half started out very even with both teams trading points over the first few minutes. Trailing by six, five points in 32 seconds from a McDowell layup and a Kaia Isaac and-one layup, brought the Texans within one, 39-38, with 16:10 remaining.  The Trailblazers utilized a 10-2 run over the next four minutes, to put Utah Tech back in the lead by nine, 49-40. 

Utah Tech built their lead up to as many as 11 with 9:36 to play in the game. But the Texans weren't done yet, clawing their way back. The Purple and White rattled off a 5-0 run to bring their deficit back down to six with 7:12 to play. Trailing 64-57 with just over four minutes left, the Texans found new life. A pair of made free throws from Leroy Kelly IV and a wide-open dunk from McDowell brought the game within three with just over two minutes to play. 

The Trailblazers made a pair of baskets to bring their lead back to seven with 90 seconds left. In the final minute and a half, Utah Tech made seven of their eight free throws. The Texans were just too little too late, but showed a strong chance when Johnson cut their deficit down to two, 73-71 ,with 19 seconds left on a pull-up triple. But Utah Tech converted on their free throws and McDowell and Johnson were unable to connect on their triple attempts in the final seconds to give the Trailblazers a 75-71 victory.

The Texans shot 40.0 percent from the floor making 28-of-70. The Purple and White struggled from the free throw line connecting on 13 of their 22 attempts, a 59.1 percent rate. Tarleton State committed less than turnovers for the fourth time this season and the third time in conference play. The Purple and White won the turnover battle, 16-8 as well as the battle of the boards, 38-34. Utah Tech shot 52.1 percent from the floor, making 25-of-48. The Trailblazers shot 8-for-23 from deep, a 34.8 percent rate. The Trailblazers converted 17 of their 23 free throws, a 73.9 percent clip.

Tarleton State return to Texas for a Wednesday night match-up down the road in Arlington. The Texans knocked off the Mavericks in the season opener at the College Park Center and will look to move their record to 2-0 against the Mavs this season.