LAS VEGAS — Tarleton State Men's Basketball fought until the end but came up just short, 84-78 on Wednesday night against Abilene Christian in the Opening Round of the WAC Tournament at the Orleans Arena.
 
The Texans (14-18 overall) end their season with the loss. With the win, the Wildcats (14-18) will advance to the WAC Quarterfinals to take on third-seeded Utah Tech on Thursday night.
 
Dior Johnson led the way in scoring with 28 for the Texans. He made seven of his 17 shots from the floor and 12 of his 14 free throws. Johnson collected five boards, dished out three assists and a block.
 
Kaia Isaac added 13 points making a pair of triples. The senior notched two steals while shooting four-for-eight from the floor. Jordan Mizell was the third Texan in double figures with 10. He led the Texans with three steals. Chris Mpaka led the Purple and White on the glass with six rebounds.
 
The game started out slow with neither team scoring for nearly three minutes. Mpaka started the scoring with the first men's point in Vegas this season. After a three-point ACU play, Kaia Isaac put the Texans ahead, 4-3, their last lead of the first half. The Wildcats distanced themselves over the next four minutes with a 10-0 run to take a 13-4 advantage.
 
The Texans battled back with a 6-0 run later in the half to bring their deficit down to four. Mizell started the run with a jumper, followed by a bucket from Johnson. A pair of free throws from Mpaka cut the game to 17-13. ACU led by as many as 16 in the final ten minutes in the half, with their lead never dropping below 10 in the final six minutes. Damion Porter Jr. scored a bucket to cut the Texan deficit to 14 right before the end of the half. After an ACU turnover Mizell hit a half-court heave but it was overturned after review that it came after the buzzer. With the bucket overturned, the Wildcats led, 39-25 heading into the break.
 
Johnson started the second half with a pair of made baskets to bring the Texans within ten. The Texans extended their run to 9-2 to start the half in the first three minutes to cut their deficit to seven. The Wildcats ran off a 5-0 run to bring their lead back to double digits. ACU led by as many as 13 in the second half. The Wildcats lead held around double digits until a late Texan run in the final minutes.
 
The Texans cut their deficit to five in the final minute, but were unable to shrink the lead any shorter in the final minutes. Isaac scored the final five Texan points but ultimately fell to ACU, 84-78.
 
Tarleton State shot 41.8 percent from the floor connecting on 24-for-58 from the floor. The Texans shot 25-for-35 from the free throw line, a 71.4 percent rate. The Purple and White forced 15 turnovers winning the turnover battle. Tarleton State won the battle of the boards, 33-32.