STEPHENVILLE — Head coach Eric Haut collected his first collegiate head coaching victory leading Tarleton State Men’s Basketball to an 86-60 season-opening victory over Cameron on Monday night at the EECU Center.
The Texans notched their 31st season opening victory since 1988 improving their record 31-8 in their season opener. The Purple and White are an impressive 28-1 in their season opener at home with their second victory in as many games in the Division I era. Tarleton State has won their last seven, season openers at home dating back to 2012. The Texans also improve their record in Stephenville to 22-2 against Cameron since 1988.
“I am extremely grateful for everyone that came to the game today,” said Haut in his postgame press conference. “That was a great crowd and they brought a ton of energy. It wasn’t just the students, it was the students and the community. I am very appreciative of everyone that came out and supported us tonight. We are all in this together, we are trying to build a problem here and you have to do it with everybody. Our guys really fed off their energy tonight.”
Leroy Kelly IV notched his first double-double of his collegiate career posting 13 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore led the team in boards as well as tying for team highs in both assists and steals. Kelly IV dished out five assists paired with three steals. He also made a team-best two triples. Kelly IV made a major impact on the floor in his 31 minutes of actions with the Texans holding a 30-point advantage while he was on the floor.
Jac Mani led the Texans in scoring in the opener notching a game-high 17 points. The fifth-year senior was a perfect six-for-six from the floor including a one-for-one line from deep. He took advantage of his trips to the line, converting on all four of his free throws. The Los Angeles, Calif., native, grabbed five rebounds as well in his Texan debut.
In total, the Texans had five that scored in double-figures. TJ Cope and Ethan Carter each notched 13 with Brett Freeman adding 12 off the bench. Cope and Carter stole the show hammering home multiple dunks that brought down the house and pumped up the energized crowd. Cope led the team with a pair of blocks and added eight rebounds. Carter was a perfect four-for-four from the floor and made five of six from the charity stripe. Freeman and Carter accounted for 25 of the Texans’ 31 bench points. Freeman shot six-for-16 from the floor.
The Texans led wire-to-wire with Mani tallying the opening bucket in the paint in the first 20 seconds of the contest. As promised, Haut’s squad moved fast opening with an 8-0 run in the first three minutes of the game. Kelly IV accounted for five consecutive points with his first triple of the season, followed by a steal and score.
The Purple and White lead never dropped below ten in the final 12 minutes of the first half. The Texans used a 9-2 run to bring their lead to the highest of the, 17, with 5:24 left. Carter accounted for six-straight Texan points with a pair of dunks and a pair of made freebies. Tarleton State took a 45-34 lead into halftime with Kelly IV leading the scoring attack with 10 in the first 20 minutes.
Cameron showed they regrouped at the break coming out of the half on back-to-back triples to cut their deficit to just five in the first 33 seconds. The Texans answered with a 4-0 run of their own to switch the momentum. Tarleton State’s lead reached double-digits in the first five minutes of the second half and never fell back below ten in the final 15 minutes of the game.
The Purple and White used a pair of 6-0 runs to bring their lead to 19 just past the midpoint of the half. Another 7-0 run put the Texans ahead 24 with seven minutes left and they never looked back. Tarleton State led by as many as 28 in the final minutes before finishing the night with an 86-60 victory in their season opener against the Aggies.
The Texan defense was on point leading the turnover battle, 18-12. The Purple and White scored 19 points off those turnovers while only allowing nine. The Texans won the rebounding battle, 47-36 and led 10-8 in steals. The Tarleton State offense scored 52 of its 86 points in the paint while allowing just 24 points in the paint by the Aggies. The Texans dished out 19 assists on their 34 baskets.
Tarleton State will hit the road for the first time this season heading west to take on the San Diego Toreros on Friday night. Tip is slated for 8:30 pm CT / 6:30 pm PT from Jenny Craig Pavilion. For the latest updates, highlights and news follow @tarletonmbb on Instagram and X.
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