FORT SMITH, Ark. – Tarleton couldn’t withstand a furious second-half rally from Black Hills State and suffered a setback Sunday afternoon in a 78-75 loss to close out the LSC/RMAC Challenge in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Tarleton was dominant through most of the game, building a 12-point lead in the first half and extending it to as many as 21 with 11:18 remaining in the second half at 62-41. However, the Yellow Jackets answered with a 10-2 run over the next four minutes and then another 11-2 run over the following four to cut the Texan lead to four with just over three minutes to play.
Black Hills took the lead with 1:09 left and stretched it out to four with free throws.
Devin Bethely found Clashon Gaffney for a quick bucket to make it a one-possession game and, after a 1-2 trip to the line on the other end, Tarleton got two looks from beyond the arc to tie it in the waning seconds to no avail.
Jaraan Lands was a spark off the bench as the redshirt senior led the team with 17 points and seven rebounds while Josh Hawley (14) and Bethely (10) combined for 24 points in double-figure scoring efforts.
Tarleton will make its home debut Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Wisdom Gym against Oklahoma Baptist.
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