STEPHENVILLE, Texas - The road games don't get any tougher in the Lone Star Conference South Division than it was Saturday night at Wisdom Gym.

With every possession at a premium, Michael Godwin canned a 3-pointer from the left wing with 4:37 to go.

It would have given the Mustangs momemtum and a one-point lead, but it didn't count as Anthony Moore was whistled for a 3-second violation on an immediate feed off of a drive into the lane just as Godwin's shot hit the bottom of the net.

The points were sorely missed as Tarleton State's Effren Bryant iced the game with 9.75 seconds remaining to give the Texans a 66-62 win.

The Mustangs fell to 16-6 on the season and 5-2 in South Division play, while Tarleton State improved to 13-9 and 2-5.

"It's so physical. From the first possession, they are grabbing and pushing," MSU coach Jeff Ray said. "It just gets hard to score. I say this all the time, but that's just not basketball. The little things just add up when it's like that."

Bryant canned five 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 18 points as he hit his final trey of the night after Godwin's wave off to give the Texans a 59-54 advantage.

Tarleton pushed the lead to 61-54 after Cortney Hill hit a 15-footer on the baseline before Nolan Richardson took control for Midwestern.

The senior guard hit his third 3-pointer to trip the Texans' advantage to 61-57 with 2:13 to go before following a pair of free throws with a running trey on the break to pull the Mustangs to within 64-52 with 35 seconds to play.

But Tarleton hit three of four free throws in the final 27 seconds to put the game away.

Richardson finished with a game-high 24 points, but was 5-of-22 from the floor and a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.

Senior guard Earl Rabb finished a solid all-around game with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Michael Godwin finished with six points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Midwestern State junior guard Craig Green, who was averaging 15.3 points a game during South Division play, finished with just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.

"He got frustrated early getting bumped and then was called for a charge and that took his confidence," Ray said. "We try to simulate the physical play in practice, but I guess just can't get close enough to it. We just missed too many shots tonight."

The Mustangs play host to West Texas A&M Wednesday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. or 25 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game which begins at 6.