STEPHENVILLE – Going into the locker room with a tightly-contested contest, Tarleton State Women’s Basketball shot lights out in the second half to defeat Howard Payne 88-40 in Wednesday’s exhibition at Wisdom Gym.
The Texans, who are playing in their final season at the historic Wisdom Gym, competed in their last exhibition game before their Nov. 4 season opener. Tarleton State remains undefeated in exhibition games under head coach Bill Brock. The Texans have also won their last four exhibition games that have been played at Wisdom Gym in front of the home fans.
Tarleton State’s defense forced Howard Payne into 27.1 percent shooting and just 12.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Texans forced Howard Payne into 27 turnovers, capitalizing with 28 points off turnovers.
After the Texans scored back-to-back buckets and Howard Payne capitalized off a turnover in the third quarter, Tarleton State went up by double-digits thanks to an 11-0 scoring run. Continuing to capitalize off turnovers, seven straight points from senior guard Jakoriah Long allowed the Texans to be in complete control as the third period came to a close. The Texans made a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to play in the third period to move ahead by 30.
Tarleton State’s defense forced Howard Payne into eight fourth quarter turnovers in addition to 17.6 percent shooting from the opposition. The Texans scored 11 points off turnovers from Howard Payne to seal the exhibition win in front of the home crowd.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from senior forward Andjela Bigović swung the fourth quarter momentum towards the Texans and allowed Tarleton State to stretch the lead. Another bucket from the Texans and a blocked shot allowed Tarleton State to stay firm on the lead heading into the final media timeout, with a 7-0 scoring run allowing the Texans to keep the momentum. The Texans scored on each of their final three possessions to end their preseason victorious.
The Texans came back home after ending last year with a bang, winning four out of their last six games en route to qualifying for the 2024 WAC Tournament. Tarleton State defeated Abilene Christian 54-41 in the 2024 WAC Tournament, the Texans’ first conference tournament victory in the Division I Era.
Tarleton State opens the 2024-25 campaign with a two-game road swing, beginning the season at UTEP on Monday at 12 p.m.
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