LAKE CHARLES, La. – Jakoriah Long and Lexi Bull had monster performances, powering the Texans to a big win at McNeese on Saturday 88-64.
Long scored the most points by a Texan in nearly 10 years, pouring in 34 points (11-13 FG, 3-4 3PT, 9-10 FT), adding two rebounds, two assists and three steals in 37 minutes. Her 34 points mark the most by a Texan in their NCAA Division I era, surpassing Teresa Da Silva’s 31 points scored last season. In fact, Long’s 34 points are the most by any Texan since Feb. 5, 2014, when Kiara Wright scored 35 at home vs. Midwestern State.
Long is just the third player in the country this year with 34 or more points on 80 percent shooting or better in a game.
The Texans (3-6, 1-1 WAC) snapped a short two-game skid, improving to 2-3 on the road. The Cowgirls (4-8, 0-0 SLC) fell to 4-5 at home at the Legacy Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Bull joined Long with a special performance, recording her first career double-double with 11 points (5-6 FG), 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 36 minutes off the bench. She’s the second Texan with 15-plus boards in a game this year, joining Andjela Bigovic, who secured 16 at New Mexico on Nov. 12. This is the first time in at least the past 10 years that multiple Texans have secured 15 or more rebounds in a game.
“I’m so proud of our team’s performance today for the entire game,” head coach Bill Brock said. “We played very solid in all phases of the game. Jakoriah Long had an outstanding offensive game and Lexi Bull anchored our inside game with 11 points and 15 rebounds. We can enjoy this victory for tonight and have to get ready tomorrow for New Orleans on Monday morning.”
Tyler Jackson and Faith Acker each scored nine points, with Jackson adding five assists and three rebounds, and Acker five boards. Karyn Sanford chipped in eight points (3-6 FG) and three rebounds off the bench.
The Texan offense returned in a flurry, scoring their second most points on the year, their most since their season-opening 106. They made 29-of-61 (.475) from the field, 7-of-15 (.467) from distance and 23-of-30 (.767) from the stripe. McNeese didn’t shoot it that much worse (.415 from the field, .333 from three and .773 from the FT line), but Tarleton won the turnover battle 16-9.
The Texans used a big second quarter to take a commanding lead that they never relinquished, then capped it off in the fourth to deflate the Cowgirls. Tarleton got to the line 12 times in the second quarter, making 11, to win the frame 29-17, then made 8-of-12 (.667) from the field in the fourth quarter on their way to a 25-12 frame advantage and 24-point win.
Both teams struggled to get on the board to start, held without a point 150 seconds in, before Long buried a three to start her career night. McNeese didn’t score until the 6:15 mark. The Cowgirls stuck around though, and after being down 10-8, used a 7-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at three, 15-12. Long made a jumper at the first quarter buzzer to knot the game after the first, 15-15.
The Texans opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run and led the remainder of the game. Tarleton gave up just three points nearly halfway through, and led by as many as 12 in the frame, which was the halftime difference (44-32) after Long made yet another buzzer-beating shot. She had 15 points (5-6 FG) and three steals at the break.
Each team went back-and-forth in the third quarter, as the Tarleton lead balanced between 9-13 the entire 10-minute frame. The Texans took a 63-52 advantage into the fourth quarter.
After leading 65-55 with 8:16 left, the Texans curbed any further Cowgirl threat with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to lead by 22. Long dropped 15 points in the fourth quarter alone to put her atop all Texan D1 scorers.
One Cowgirl scored in double figures, as Emilia Tenbrock tallied 22 points (7-13 FG, 7-9 FT), four assists and three rebounds.
The Texans will have a quick turnaround to end their two-game trip in Louisiana. They’ll next play at New Orleans on Monday at 11 a.m. CT at Lakefront Arena. It will be UNO’s Education Day.
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