A defensive game was probably the expectation of the Feb. 16 game between WTAMU and Tarleton State. The Buffs defeated the Texans 44-39 earlier this season. The Buffs did not anticipate shooting just 33 percent from the floor and Tarleton wasn’t much better at 43 percent. However, it was just enough to extend the Texans’ winning streak in Stephenville to 16 games by a 47-42 score.

WT jumped out to a 10-3 lead with 12:26 left in the first half. The strong start was short-lived, as the Texans went on a 19-4 run to end the half, giving them a 22-14 lead at halftime.

Tarleton’s biggest lead came about two and half minutes into the second half at 26-16. The Buffs appeared to have a chance to rally in them when senior Joe Mincey drained a three pointer, cutting the lead to one point with about 11 minutes thirty seconds remaining in the half.  The Buffs downfall would be due to a 3 of 7 performance from the line and two missed three pointers in the last five minutes of the game, handing Tarleton the victory.

The shooting performance of the Buffs was below par compared to earlier in the season. No player eclipsed 10 points, and two players, Mincey and junior Lionel Foster, had nine points. WT, as a whole, were eight of 18 from the free throw line and 15 of 46 from the field.

“You can’t win a game shooting free throws like we did tonight, especially on the road,” Head coach Rick Cooper said to gobuffsgo.com. “Statistically the game was very close. They missed free throws, too. They just hit a few more shots from the field.”

Tarleton was led by a 13 point performance from Corin Henry, one of two players in double digits for the Texans, the other being Donta Smith, who had 10 points. The Texans shot 18 of 42 from the field, and just two of 14 from downtown.

With this victory, the Texans managed to clinch a spot in the LSC tournament.