One-by-one all five Tarleton State starters reached double figures, and point-by-point the TexAnns flipped the script, dominating from the onset against an Eastern New Mexico that was reigning regular season champion of the Lone Star Conference and defeated them twice in tight contests including once in overtime during the regular season.
Tarleton (19-10) jumped ahead early and pulled away without much dispute – or defense, anyway – from Eastern New Mexico (16-12) in a 83-61 romp that sends the TexAnns on to the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, where they are reigning champions from the final event in Allen last year.
The TexAnns looked as comfortable as they did at Allen Event Center when they won their two conference tournament titles five years to the day apart in 2012 and 2017. In fact, they looked like a team that despite finishing fifth in the LSC in the regular season, could challenge to repeat as tourney champ in 2018.
Of course, that requires two more days of similarly efficient basketball as Friday, when Mackenzie Hailey scored 18, McKinley Bostad and Tiara Tatum 17 each, Katie Webster 14 and Kylie Collins 10. Hailey and Webster each had nine rebounds, Hailey and Bostad had three assists and three steals each and Hailey also blocked a pair of shots to complete yet another solid line statistically for the first-team all-conference player who was the tournament MVP last season.
ENMU simply didn’t have the firepower to keep up with a TexAnn team clicking on all cylinders in their third meeting. Tarleton shot a blistering 63 percent in the second half to finish at 52 percent for the game, were 46 percent from the arc and outscored ENM:U 19-8 from the foul stripe. They also had five less turnovers and outscored them 19-8 in points off turnovers.
ENMU was a paltry 4-20 from the 3-point line and shot 42 percent overall.
Be the first to comment