By BRAD KEITH
TheFlashToday.com
STEPHENVILLE (December 19, 2017) — Josh Hawley scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half and Tarleton State scored 10 straight to regain control after losing an 11-point lead to Wayland Baptist.
Deshawn Ridddick drove and hit a floater while being fouled, then completed the ‘And-1’ from the stripe to conclude the run, which put the Texans on pace for their 76-71 out-of-conference win in their final game before Christmas at Wisdom Gym.
Riddick netted 14 with all of his nine second half points coming after Wayland Baptist took a 48-43 lead. The old-fashioned 3-point play came with 6:07 left to conclude the 10-0 run in which the senior point guard scored five, also hitting a pair of free throws to make it a 1-point game after athletic freshman Claishon Gaffney dunked home two of his points to begin the rally.
Preston Enloe has already become the first freshman to hit a game-winning shot in 30 years of Texan basketball under head coach Lonn Reisman. There was still more than 6 minutes left when the Hebron product buried a 3 to make it a 7-0 run, but it did give the Texans the edge for good.
The next Tarleton possession ended with Riddick driving from the right wing for his biggest play of the night, pulling up six feet short of the cup and rimming it in with soft floater while crashing to the floor after being bumped by help defender.
Riddick later made four straight free throws in the final minute before Enloe and Hawley each hit one to seal the deal.
Corinthian Ramsey scored 18 points, and though he played 21 minutes, he actually did all his scoring over 13 minutes in the first half.
Ramsey didn’t start the game, as Reisman and staff continue experimenting with different combination in search of better chemistry. Tarleton lost four of its first 10 games for the first time since 2001 as true freshmen Enloe and Gaffney have been baptized by fire with significant minutes, and junior college players seeing significant minutes all while parting ways with 2016-17 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year Anthony Davis, though he was still listed on the roster on the unviersiy’s athletic website Tuesday night.
It may have been the first start for Enloe, but it was the strong end to the first half by Ramsey that sent Tarleton to the break leading 36-25.
It was 21-21 before Riddick then Ramsey hit consecutive 3-pointers Hawley knocked down two free throws for an eight-point lead before Wayland got back on the board. The Texans weren’t done surging, as Ramsey buried a triple and two possessions later scored a layup, giving him eight points in the 13-2 run.
WBC scored again to cut the lead to single digits, but Ramsey finished the half with a pair of free thwrows, scoring 10 points in the final final five minutes and change. He actually scored all of his 18 in the last 10:49 of the opening half.
JJ Culver scored 15 or his 19 and Trevonta Robertson 12 of his 17 after halftime to bring back WBC before the Texans pulled through in the end.
Culver scored 10 straight WBC points with Tarleton scoring betweeen them and still leading 45-38 after a dunk by Gaffney, who contributed eight points, six rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes. WBC scored 15 of the next 18, seven of them by Roertson, who gave them a 49-48 lead. Four more points were added on before Riddick started to bring back the Texans..
Josh Throns gave WBC a third double-digit scorer with 11.
Tarleton enjoyed its best night of the season from the foul stripe, going 26-30 for 87 percent. WBC was 80 percent but didn’t get there as often, going 12-15.
The Texans hit 45 percent from the floor and Wayland 40 percent. Josh Throns of Wayland was the game’s remaining double digit scorer with 11.
Wayland Baptist 71
- TECHNICAL FOULS: none
- POINTS IN THE PAINT: 20;
- POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: 12
- SECOND CHANCE POINTS: 9
- FAST BREAK POINTS: 2
- BENCH POINTS: 26
- SCORES TIED: 3 time(s)
- LEAD CHANGED: 4 time(s)
- LARGEST LEAD: 5 2nd-10:29
Tarleton State 76
- TECHNICAL FOULS: none
- POINTS IN THE PAINT: 30
- POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: 13
- SECOND CHANCE POINTS: 12
- FAST BREAK POINTS: 8
- BENCH POINTS: 29
- SCORES TIED: 1 time(s)
- LEAD CHANGED: 4 time(s)
- LARGEST LEAD: 11 1st-01:44
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