STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton State Men’s Basketball notched its second consecutive home victory to close out 2024 with a 70-60 victory over Florida A&M on Sunday afternoon in Wisdom Gym.
The Texans (5-10) won their first Sunday home game of their Division I era. The Rattlers (3-8) dropped their first game against a non-Power Four Division I opponent with the loss.
“We forced Florida A&M to change their lineup by stopping them in the passing lanes,” said head coach Billy Gillispie on the Tarleton defense. “The crowd was really great today. These fans always show up and they are amazing on how they support the Texans. They really are amazing and it’s a blessing to have them.”
Freshman Keitenn Bristow recorded a career high notching 23 points. He also set a new career best with nine made buckets from the floor, including a perfect two-for-two from deep. The Holliday, Texas, native, also added six boards and a game-best three blocks.
Bubu Benjamin was the only other Texan in double-figures, notching his third double-double and second-consecutive on the season. The sophomore notched 17 points and added 11 rebounds with three on the offensive glass. He played all but 90 seconds in the contest and shot six-for-eight from the charity stripe.
Marty Silvera registered a season-high six steals while adding nine points. Silvera is one of three Texans to record at least five steals in a game this season, and the only to accomplish that feat twice. Karim Elgizawy saw his first minutes of the season after missing the first 14 games due to injury tallying five points. Dantwan Grimes dished out a game-high five assists. Grimes has notched at least five assists in back-to-back contests.
Izzy Miles started the scoring off with a full-court lay-up initiated by a Silvera steal in the first 15 seconds of the contest. It marks the second-straight game the Texans scored on the opening possession. The Rattlers settled in using a 7-2 run to take the lead. Bristow put the Texans back on top, 7-6, with his first triple of the game.
After the Rattlers scored the next four points, the Texans answered in style. On back-to-back possessions, the Texans finished with a slam to tie the game at 11. First, Bristow found an outlet pass and took it to the rim. Then on the next play, Miles found Benjamin on the fast break for the sweet alley-oop.
Both teams swapped buckets to move the score to 19-18 in favor of the Rattlers. Elgizawy earned his first points as a Texan off a smooth finger roll to give the Purple and White a 15-14 lead.
Trailing 19-18, the Texans took the lead for good at the 7:20 mark. Bristow sparked a 9-0 run beginning with a hook shot. Elgizawy sunk his first triple as a Texan during the run. Bristow capped the burst in which he contributed four points with a pair of made free throws to put the Texans in front, 27-19.
Tarleton closed the half on an 11-3 run in the final four minutes of play. The Texans led, 28-23, before back-to-back buckets by Bristow and Silvera. With less than two minutes to go, Nick Krass made the bucket and picked up the and-one free throw for a classic three-point play. Krass notched his fifth point in the final minutes on a jumper with 20 ticks left on the clock. Grimes made a layup at the horn to give the Purple and White a 13-point advantage heading into the break, 39-26.
In a slow start to the second half, the Rattlers scored the first five points to cut their deficit to eight, 39-31. The Texans didn’t see their first point of the half until the 15:29 mark thanks to a triple by Benjamin. He followed up with a lay-up on the next possession to answer the FAMU run with a 5-0 burst by himself.
Florida A&M cut their deficit to six, 56-50 with eight minutes remaining in the second half. The Purple and White used a 6-0 run with four points by Silvera to put the lead back in double digits. The Texans maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the last eight minutes.
Tarleton led by eight, 62-54 with 4:45 to go before Bristow put the team on his back yet again. The freshman eclipsed the 20-point mark amid a 5-0 run thanks to two buckets and a made free throw. Bristow closed out the game with a dunk in the open court to give the Texans the 70-60 victory.
Four Texans played the entirety of the second half: Benjamin, Silvera, Grimes and Krass.
Tarleton committed a season-low 11 turnovers, winning the turnover battle, 20-11. The Texans won the turnover battle for the sixth time this season, resulting in their third win. Tarleton also won the battle of the boards, 35-33.
The Purple and White shot 41.7 percent (25-for-60) from the floor and 44.4 percent (4-for-9) from downtown. Tarleton held the Rattlers to shoot from the field at a 40.4 clip and 31.8 from beyond the arc.
Tarleton State will open the new year starting its 16-game WAC slate with a home tilt against UT Arlington. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Wisdom Gym as the Texans will bring in the new year with the first Tarleton athletics home game of 2025.
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