By BRAD KEITH
TheFlashToday.com
ODESSA (February 23, 2017) — It was the biggest game of the year in the Lone Star Conference and perhaps the biggest win in the NCAA era of UT-Permian Basin.
The Falcons dominated the second half and earned a season sweep of No. 15 Tarleton State with a 86-74 win in front of a raucous, full-house crowd – of about 500 – at the “Falcon Dome” Thursday night.
The Falcons scored the most points Tarleton has allowed since an overtime loss to Colorado State-Pueblo on November 27, 2015, and they did it with balance. Johnnie Lacy scored 18 points, James McPherson added 17 and Daeshon Francis went 9-10 from the foul stripe on his way to 16.
But the biggest difference maker was Sammy Allen, a 6-2 guard who had 20 rebounds himself while Tarleton had just 25 as a team. Allen also scored 17 points, and UTPB out-rebounded Tarleton 47-25. Add that to going 29-35, 82.9 percent, and it was enough for the Falcons to control the game despite 24 turnovers.
McPherson made it 78-63 with a bucket and free throw on the fifth foul by Tarleton standout Chantz Chambers with 3:09 remaining, and the handwriting was on the wall.
Ridell Camidge answered with a 3 that brought Tarleton within 12, but with 2:55 left, but the Falcons remained hot at the foul stripe and the Texans never got within 10 in the final moments.
The Texans entered the contest as the No. 1 team in the South Central Region, but dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season. They also allowed 80 or more points for just the third time and in back-to-back games for the first time since January 4 and 6 of 2007.
UTPB climbed from fifth to third in the regional rankings by winning a pair of tough road games last week at Angelo State and Texas A&M-Kingsville, the latter in triple overtime. But their 12th win in 13 games is the biggest on their resume, making them a lock to participate in the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history.
Ridell Camidge poured in 22 points while UTPB fans chatted “Five you suck” toward him throughout the contest. The junior who transferred from UNC-Charlotte was 6-13 from the arc.
It doesn’t get any easier for Tarleton with a trip to West Texas A&M, the No. 4 team in the region, on Saturday. Tipoff at the First United Bank Center in Cameron is set for 4 p.m. UTPB also has another tough test, welcoming regional No. 5 Texas A&M-Commerce at the same time.
Camidge and Anthony Davis hit 3-pointers early in the second half to give Tarleton a four-point lead, and the Texans were back on top, 45-44, following a Brandon Willis 3 with 16:24 remaining. But UTPB, which scored 51 after intermission, responded with an 11-2 run featuring two McPherson 3-balls to take control.
Tarleton pulled within five on three Willis free throws, then made it 59-55 on a Camidge 3 with almost 11 minutes still to play. But a layup by Allen made it 69-58 with 6:26 left, and the Falcons were ahead double figures the rest of the game.
Romond Jenkins earned his 16th double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Tarleton fell to 14-2 when he doubles up and to 16-2 when leading at halftime.
Jenkins scored 11 in the first half, and hit a pair of free throws for a 26-24 Tarleton lead after the Texans trailed 20-6 early on. It was a 22-4 run the Texans needed to overcome one of UTPB’s trademark fast starts to lead the Falcons 36-35 at halftime.
Four early 3-pointers, two of them by Lacy, helped UTPB to the quick 14-point lead. They led by as many as 25 in Stephenville on January x, and withstood a Tarleton rally to beat the Texans, 76-64.
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