STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The #12 Buffaloes of West Texas A&M shot just 35% from the floor as they snapped a three game win streak on Thursday night with a 91-73 loss to the #11 Texans of Tarleton State in front of over 2,300 fans at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas. The Buffs fall to 18-3 (6-2 LSC) on the season while the Texans move into sole possession of first place in the Lone Star Conference as they moved to 11-2 (7-1 LSC) overall.
 
The Buffs missed on their first attempt before Romond Jenkins started off the scoring with an easy bucket, Car White responded with a layup followed by a Ridell Camidge long ball from the wing and a WT miss from deep but the Texans gave the ball right back with an offensive foul as Ryan Quaid drew a charge. The Buffs missed from deep again followed by a WT foul as Jenkins hit one-of-two at 6-2, the Buffs missed a transition shot at the bucket as Camidge hit one at the line followed by a TSU foul as Jerrod Walton hit one at the line followed by misses on both ends heading into a media timeout with Tarleton leading 7-3 with 15:21 left.
 
Tarleton added to their lead with a Jenkins bucket after the break followed by a WT turnover as Jenkins added to his point total with a layup and WT foul as the senior finished off the three-point play at 12-3, a Buffalo miss led to a Chantz Chambers long ball from the wing before Walton hit a freebie before a Texan miss led to a White fast break slam at 15-6. Tarleton hit a three from the corner followed by a WT miss and Texan bucket to force a Buffalo timeout with the Buffs trailing 20-6 with 12:28 left.
 
WT missed from deep after the break followed by a missed alley-oop from the Texans as Joseph Prince hit two at the charity stripe followed by a TSU miss from deep but the Buffs gave it right back with an offensive foul with 10:49 left, Jenkins threw down an alley-oop slam followed by possessions on both ends before Prince hit a three from the wing at 22-11. Jenkins added to his total with a bucket followed by a WT miss heading into a WT timeout before Skyler O'Laughlin hit both at the line before Deshawn Riddick hit an acrobatic shot with 6:56 left and TSU leading 28-13.
 
The Texans hit two at the free throw line followed by a Texans foul as Jordan Evans hit both at the line before TSU answered with two at the free throw line at 30-15, David Chavlovich found Tommy Gove for a three from the wing with a TSU foul as the sophomore finished off the four-point play followed by a White steal but the Buffs couldn't hit from deep as Riddick hit two at the line at 32-19. White cut into the lead with a board-and-score followed by a TSU offensive foul but the Buffs missed both at the line followed by a Tarleton offensive board but TSU was called for another offensive foul with 4:16 left, the Buffs missed from deep heading into a media timeout with 3:35 left and TSU leading 32-21.
 
Josh Hawley hit one-of-two from the line after the break followed by a WT miss from deep with a Buffalo foul as Nosa Ebomwonyi hit both freebies at 35-21, White was fouled beyond the arc as the sophomore hit two-of-three followed by misses on both ends heading into a TSU timeout with 2:28 left. TSU was called for a goaltend after the break followed by a WT foul but the Texans missed both as a Tarleton foul sent Drew Evans to the line as the freshman hit one-of-two at 35-26. Riddick hit two free throws followed by a WT miss from deep before a Gove steal that led a J. Evans long ball heading into the half with TSU leading 37-29.
 
The Buffs went 7-of-26 (26.9%) from the floor in the first half including 3-of-13 (23.1%) from behind the arc and 12-of-19 (63.2%) from the free throw line with 15 rebounds (five offensive, 10 defensive), three assists, five turnovers, no blocks and three steals. White went 3-of-5 from the field and 2-of-4 from the free throw line to lead the Buffs with eight points followed by Prince and Prince with five each.
 
Tarleton State was led offensively by Jenkins who went 5-of-8 from the floor and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe with 12 points. The Texans went 10-of-26 (38.5%) from the floor including 3-of-10 (30%) from deep and 14-of-19 (73.7%) from the free throw line with 26 rebounds (eight offensive, 26 defensive), eight assists, seven turnovers, three blocks and one steal.
 
Tarleton stretched their lead to double-digits after the break with two buckets followed by a WT miss from deep and a Camidge three from the wing at 44-29, TSU rejected a Buffalo attempt that led to Chambers hitting two freebies followed by a J. Evans bucket and a WT foul as Camidge hit a three from the corner at 49-31. Eric Golightly Jr. hit two freebies followed by TSU hitting one-of-two at the line before a Tarleton foul as Quaid hit one at 50-34, Chambers hit a jumper headed into a media timeout with TSU leading 52-34 with 15:22 left.
 
Riddick added to the Tarleton lead with a bucket after the break followed by a WT miss and another Texan score to run the lead to 56-34, the Buffs missed again as Camidge hit two free throws followed by Quaid hitting one-of-two before a Gove steal that led to a Walton slam at 58-37. Jacob Morales hit two at the stripe followed by a D. Evans long ball from the corner and a Hawley baseline alley-oop at 62-40 heading into a media timeout with 11:50 left and TSU leading 62-40.
 
Golightly Jr. hit two at the stripe after the break followed by turnovers on both ends before Curtiss Anderson hit one-of-two at the line before Gove hit a long ball from the top of the key at 63-45, Anderson hit one at the line followed by misses on both ends before J, Evans hit a transition three at 64-48. Jenkins hit one-of-two followed by a WT miss from deep and Camidge hitting a freebie before J. Evans answered with a bucket at 66-50 headed into a media timeout with 7:54 left and the Texans leading 66-50.
 
Jenkins hit one-of-two at the stripe followed by the teams trading buckets as Golightly Jr. finished under the bucket for a layup followed a possession later by a J. Evans long ball from the wing at 71-55, the teams traded free throws followed by a WT miss from deep followed by a Buffalo technical foul headed into a media timeout with 3:55 left and the Texans leading 74-57.
 
Tarleton hit three free throw to add to their lead followed by Golightly Jr. hitting one at the line at 77-58, Chambers drove the lane and finished under the bucket followed by a Jordan Collins steal and D. Evans bucket before a WT foul sent the Texans to the free throw line as TSU added to their lead to 82-60. A Buffalo turnover led to more TSU free throws as the Texans surpasses their program record for free throw attempts in a game followed by a Garrett Brockman bucket and a D. Evans slam at 86-64, the teams traded free throw again as the Texans added to their lead at the line followed by another WT miss and a TSU three from the wing as TSI ran out the clock with the 91-73 win.
 
The Buffs went 21-of-60 (35%) from the field including 9-of-28 (32.1%) from deep and 22-of-35 (62.9%) from the free throw line with 29 rebounds (12 offensive, 17 defensive), nine assists, 10 turnovers, two blocks and seven steals. Jordan Evans and Drew Evans led the way for the Buffs with 13 points each followed by White with eight and Gove with seven while Quaid grabbed four rebounds.
 
Tarleton State was led by Riddick who went 2-of-10 from the floor and 15-of-16 from the free throw line to register a game high 19 points followed by Chambers (17), Camidge (17) and Jenkins (16) in double-figures while Jenkins grabbed 11 rebounds for the double-double. TSU went 21-of-43 (48.8%) from the field including 5-of-14 (35.7%) from deep and 44-of-60 (73.3%) from the free throw line to go along with 43 rebounds (10 offensive, 33 defensive), 14 assists, 13 turnovers, six blocks and 10 steals.
 
UP NEXT
The Buffs continue their DFW weekend road trip on Saturday afternoon as they head to Commerce, Texas for a matchup with the Lions of Texas A&M-Commerce with tipoff set for 4 p.m. at the TAMUC Fieldhouse. The Lions (13-4, 5-3 LSC) fell 84-61 to UT Permian Basin on Thursday night in Commerce.