Tarleton claims spot in LSC Championship

By Todd Coley—

ALLEN, Texas— The no. 5 ranked Texans will be in the conference championship for the fifth year in a row after an 84-72 victory over Texas A&M Commerce.  The Texans have set up an epic rubber match against Midwestern State for the conference crown.

It was a game of halves in Allen Event Center Friday night as Tarleton struggled in the opening period and even trailed by three at the half.  Some halftime adjustments worked out and the Texans outscored Commerce 47-32.

Chuck Guy had it going scoring and assisting, the senior had 19 points and 9 assists.
Todd Coley, Texan News

The Texans saw De’Andre Upchurch have another fantastic scoring night going off for 25 points.  Upchurch wasn’t the only one getting buckets though; Chuck Guy also had 19 points while dishing out 9 assists.  The Texans had 3 players score in double digits which also included Tashawn Mabry with 11 points.

The Texans lost at A&M Commerce less than a week ago, but did not let that get them down when they found themselves trailing at halftime.

“We made some adjustments and we talked about what we had to do to win the ball game,” said Head Coach Lonn Reisman.  Guy credited his teammates for being so open and making the shots whenever he passed the ball for his 9 assists.

The first half, Tarleton was out-rebounded 22-10 and the scoreboard reflected that. “Rebounding is all about heart,” Reisman said, and the Texans showed plenty of heart in the second half.  Tarleton changed the tide in the second half and won the battle of the boards 17-14. “If we would have gotten out-rebounded like we did in the first half, we would have had problems,” Reisman said.

Now the Texans focus on a third match Saturday against Midwestern State.  MSU snapped Tarleton’s undefeated streak in Stephenville earlier this year and the Texans will be out for revenge.  The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Allen Event Center.