STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State Men’s Basketball set a new Division I era scoring record with a 119-54 victory over Howard Payne on Wednesday night at the EECU Center.
The Texans (6-4) scored at least 110 points for the 15th time since 1988, and the fifth time in the Division I era. It marked the second most since 1988. The program record remains 133 against Huston-Tillotson during the 1971-72 season.
Six Texans scored in double figures for the first time for the Texans in the Division I era. The Purple and White last had six or more players in double figures on Nov. 21, 2015, against Bacone. Five Texans scored at least 15 points, also setting a new Division I program record.
Freddy Hicks notched the first Texan double-double of the season. Hicks scored 12 points and set a new D1 era record with 16 rebounds. He grabbed 13 defensive boards, also a new high in the Texans D1 era, and tied for the seventh most in a single game in program history. He is the first to grab at least 13 total boards since Josh Hawley in 2018. The senior dished out five assists and added a block and a steal. Hicks held a +59-point differential in his nearly 34 minutes played. Prior to the game, Hicks was received news that he had been granted an injunction to be eligible to play for the Texans for the rest of the regular season.
Cam McDowell led the Texans in scoring with a new season-best, 20. McDowell has scored in double digits in each of his last three games. He knocked down eight of his 13 shots, including a pair of triples. He also grabbed eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Andy Sigiscar set a new career-high with 18 points. He made nine of his 13 shots in just under 18 minutes played. He also grabbed six rebounds and added two steals. Leroy Kelly IV set a new career-high with 17 points in his second game in double figures this season. Kelly IV notched a team-best six steals for the second time this season. The true freshman made seven of his eight shots and grabbed eight boards. He also tallied four assists.
Kaia Isaac notched 16 points, his second-straight game in double figures. Isaac set a new career high after posting 13 against Cincinnati on Monday night. The New Zealand native, also recorded five steals and four assists. Cam Thomas became the 14th Texan this season to reach double-digit scoring totals. The freshman reached the score sheet for the first time this season. He logged a season-high 19 minutes and finished the night with 16 points. He made six of his 10 shots and shot a perfect four-for-four from the charity stripe.
The Texans made 47 field goals, tying their Division I era record. The Texans last made 47 field goals on Feb. 28, 2023, against Southwestern Assemblies. Tarleton State notched a season-high 67 bench points, to add to their top 15 bench point average in the nation. The Purple and White set new season records in rebounds (53), field goals attempted (85), three pointers made (10), three pointers attempted (26), steals (21) and assists (23).
Tarleton State started the game on a 6-0 run in the first two minutes. With 13:42 left in the half, a layup from Sigiscar gave the Texans a double-digit lead that stuck for the remainder of the contest. A few minutes later, Sigiscar brought home the first Texan dunk of the game to the roar of the Texan nation crowd. A 9-0 run gave the Texans their first 20-point lead of the game, 33-12, just past the midpoint of the half. The Texans closed out the final 1:24 of the half on an 8-0 run to take a 30-point advantage into the break, 59-29.
Four Texans scored in double-figures in the first half led by McDowell and Sigiscar with 12. Hicks grabbed nine boards in the first half while playing all 20 minutes. Jordan Mizell dished out five assists. Tarleton State shot 63.2 percent from the field in the half and scored on 66.7 percent of their possessions. The Purple and White also grabbed 22 boards, 13 assists and 12 steals in the first 20 minutes.
The second half was all Texan yet again. Isaac found Thomas for an alley-oop early on in the second half. Back-to-back triples from Kelly IV and Isaac gave the Texans their first 100-point game of the season. That started an 11-0 run that gave the Texans a 60-point lead, their largest of the season. In the final minute of the half after a pair of free throws from Mizell, the Texans took their largest lead of the night, 67. Howard Payne notched a basket in the final seconds to ultimately result in the Texans victory, 119-54.
Kelly IV led the Texans in scoring with 12 in the second 20 minutes. Isaac scored 11 points while playing all 20 minutes in the half. The Purple and White made six triples while shooting at a 40 percent rate. The Texans scored 60 points while shooting at a 48.9 percent from the field. Tarleton State committed just four turnovers in the half while forcing 12 on nine steals.
The Purple and White shot more than 50 percent from the floor for the 45th time in their D1 era and earned their 42nd victory. The Texans shot 55.3 percent making 47 of their 85 total shots. The Texans won the turnover battle, 29-12, and the battle of the boards, 53-25. Howard Payne shot 18-for-53 from the field (34.0 percent) and six-of-21 from deep (28.6 percent). The Yellow Jackets also shot 75 percent from the free throw line (12-for-16).
Tarleton State will close out the week with the second game of a men’s and women’s basketball double header. The Texans will host Cameron (OK) with tip off slated for 4:30 p.m.
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