STEPHENVILLE – Holding the lead for 39 minutes, Tarleton Women’s Basketball took care of business in its return to Wisdom Gym with a 65-55 win over New Mexico State Monday afternoon.
The Texans, who hosted their second Education Day game of the season in front of 676 kids from Chamberlain Elementary, clinched their first win of the 2024 WAC-Conference USA Challenge.
After collecting her second double-double of the season at #24 Nebraska last week, sophomore center Faith Acker followed that up with a season-high 18 points and to go with eight rebounds in Monday’s win. Tarleton’s leading scorer Arieona Rosborough added 12 points for the Texans in the victory.
“I’m very thankful for the win and the good start we had. I thought we had a really solid first half,” head coach Bill Brock said. “I thought we played really well today. It was good to see the basketball go in the goal. I thought we played good defense. (New Mexico State) poses a few problems for you. They presented some mismatches for us and have three quality guards.
“It was a great day. I’m thankful for all the kiddos here that got to see this and hopefully, they will want to bring their parents and families back to our games.”
Acker fed senior forward Andjela Bigović for the game’s opening bucket before New Mexico State knocked down a 3-pointer for its first and only lead of the game. The Texans quickly responded by taking advantage of two offensive boards on their next possession, with Acker capitalizing off the opportunity with a layup.
Tarleton followed with nine unanswered points to stretch the advantage out to double-digits in the first quarter. A pair of 3-pointers from the Aggies, however, cut the Texans’ lead in half with just over three minutes to play. The Texans finished the opening period with 57.1% shooting to make it a 19-11 advantage.
New Mexico State cut the Tarleton lead down to four points to start the second quarter, but the Texans used a 10-0 scoring run to go back ahead by double-digits. The Texans shot 50% from the floor while holding New Mexico State to just 30.77% shooting without a made 3-pointer to go into the locker room ahead 38-24.
Keeping up its momentum in the second half, Tarleton’s baskets kept coming in the third quarter that allowed the Texans to hold firm on its double-digit advantage. Following seven straight made free throws, Rosborough found senior forward Elise Turrubiates for a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to put Tarleton in front 55-39 heading into the final quarter.
New Mexico State shot 53.8% in the fourth quarter while holding Tarleton to just 22.2% shooting to attempt a comeback. The Texans’ lead, however, was too much for the Aggies to overcome and Tarleton clinched its sixth win of the season.
Tarleton will play its final road contest of the non-conference portion of its season Thursday at Arkansas State at 7 p.m. in Jonesboro.
Postgame Notes
- Tarleton Women’s Basketball led for 39:05 to clinch a 65-55 win over New Mexico State on Monday in the WAC/Conference USA Challenge. New Mexico State (113) is the highest ranked NET team Tarleton has defeated.
- Tarleton now leads the series with New Mexico State 3-2. The two schools last met on Jan. 7, 2023 when New Mexico State was a member of the WAC.
- Tarleton dominated the glass and outrebounded the Aggies 39-23 on Monday. The Texans have a 5-2 record when they collect more rebounds than their opponent.
- The Texans hosted its second Education Day game of the season, playing in front of 676 fans from Chamberlain Elementary. Tarleton, who leads the nation in Education Day games played with five this season, is 2-0 at home in Education Day games. The Texans are 2-2 in Education Day games in 2024-25.
- Sophomore center Faith Acker scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Acker, who had a double-double at #24 Nebraska last week, is averaging 14 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game in her last two contests.
- Leading scorer Arieona Rosborough added 12 points for the Texans, her eighth game this season with at least 10 points.
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