STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton men’s basketball picked up its second straight Lone Star Conference win with a 69-59 victory over Western New Mexico on Saturday in Wisdom Gym.
The Texans improve to 15-5 overall and 5-4 in the LSC. It’s the 18th straight season the Texans have won at least 15 games.
Jesse Hill led all players with 19 points, shooting 8 of 13 from the floor, with a team-high eight rebounds to go along with a career-high three steals and three blocks. Over the last four games, Hill is averaging 14 points, eight rebounds, and 2.3 blocks.
The Texans fell in a big hole to open the game as Western New Mexico (4-11, 1-8) jumped out to a 10-0 run. The Texans responded by outscoring the Mustangs by 20 points the rest of the way. Josh Hawley started an 8-0 run after draining a 3-pointer at the top of the arc, his first of seven points in the game. Hawley is now 29 points away from becoming the 17th player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career.
With the Texans trailing 22-16, Hill scored six of the next eight points for the Texans and Randall Broddie, who had 11 points, connected on a 3-pointer for Tarleton’s first lead of the game at 23-22. Broddie and Hawley drained back-to-back 3-pointers for a five-point lead right before the half. The Texans led 33-30 at halftime.
The Texans used an 11-2 run out of the break to take a double-digit lead on the Mustangs, 48-37. Broddie, Hill and Corinthian Ramsey each made a 3-pointer during the stretch. The Texans made 11 3-pointers in the game, including six in the second half. It’s the eighth time this season the Texans made double-digit 3-pointers, going 7-1 in those games.
Brandon Goldsmith tied a career high with 13 points off the bench, including nine points in the second half on 5 of 8 shooting and 2 of 2 on 3-pointers. Both of Goldsmith’s 3’s came on back-to-back possessions, which gave the Texans their biggest lead of the game at 66-50 with 5:20 to go.
The Texans had 17 assists in the game to only nine turnovers. Richie Mitchell, who’s coming off a 15-point, 10-assist game, led the team with four assists to go with three points and three rebounds. Broddie, Ramsey and Sam Marshall each recorded three assists in the game, with Ramsey adding five points and Marshall posting four points and six rebounds.
Preston Enloe connected on a pair of 3-pointers for six points and Clashon Gaffney made his impact on the defensive end, grabbing five rebounds and blocking three shots.
Tarleton will travel south next week as they take on Angelo State on Thursday, Jan. 31 and Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 4 p.m.
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