THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State erased a 15 point deficit in the second half as junior JaJuan Starks torched Tarleton State for 21 points after the break, but the comeback bid fell short in a 70-65 loss to the Texans on Saturday at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
 
The Texans claimed their sixth-straight win to improve to 12-2 overall and 3-1 in Lone Star Conference play. The Mustangs drop to 4-10 and are still looking for their first LSC win of the season at 0-4.
 
Starks finished with 23 points for his fifth 20-point outing of the season, but the Fort Wayne, Ind., native was most impressive in the final 20 minutes of play. After scoring just two points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half, Starks hit shot after shot in the second half, going 7-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from long range. He added six rebounds two assists a block and four steals on the defensive end.
 
Junior Josh Wallace added 15 points, including 11 in the second half. The Queens, N.Y., native hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute to cut the score to a one possession game.
 
Freshman Terrell Wilson dropped a season-high 14 points and was the only MSU Texas player with more than four points coming out of halftime.
 
The Mustangs got off to a strong start to take a one-point lead near the midway point in the first half. Tarleton responded with a 17-4 run over the final 8:37 to take a 32-20 lead at the break.
 
Trailing 44-30 with 14:23 to play, MSU Texas turned the momentum with a 22-4 run to capture a 52-48 lead with 6:34 to play. Starks was responsible for 14 of the 22 points by the Maroon and Gold, hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Tarleton answered with a 10-0 run to regain the lead, 58-52, capped by a pair of steals and layups from Corinthian Ramsey with 3:46 to go.
 
A pair of free throws from Gilbert Thomas, Jr., pulled the Mustangs within three, down 59-56 with 2:27 to play before a layup from Randall Broddie as the shot clock expired stretched the lead back to five.
 
Starks and Ramsey exchanged 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Down 64-59 with under a minute to play, Wallace buried his first of two treys in the final minute to cut the gap to two.
 
Ramsey knocked down a jumper in the lane for the Texans. The Mustangs missed a 3-point attempt with 12 seconds remaining, leading to a pair of free throws from Richie Mitchell.
 
Wallace responded with his third triple of the night, but a pair of free throws by Broddie locked up the win for TSU.
 
Broddie and Ramsey paced the Texans offensively with 16 and 13 points, respectively, while Josh Hawley was held under 20 points for the first time in the last five outings.
 
GAME NOTES
- Midwestern State falls to 1-9 in its last 10 contests after a 70-65 loss to Tarleton State
- The Texans have won six-straight meetings with the Mustangs dating back to the 2016 season
- MSU Texas leads the all-time series 47-32 with Tarleton State
- The Mustangs open 0-4 in Lone Star Conference play for the first time since the 2005-06 squad dropped six straight to start league play
- The Maroon and Gold won the rebound battle for the second time in the last eight games
- MSU Texas was outscored 12-10 in second chance points despite a 17-12 advantage on the offensive glass
- The Mustangs were outscored 44-20 in the paint
- Junior JaJuan Starks recorded his fifth 20-point game of the season, scoring 21 in the second half to finish with 23 on 8-of-13 shooting
- Junior Josh Wallace knocked down 3-of-4 3-point attempts in the second half
- Freshman Terrell Wilson scored a season-high 14 points
 
UP NEXT
MSU Texas returns to the court on Thursday, Jan. 10, against UT Permian Basin. Tipoff at D.L. Ligon Coliseum is set for 7:30 p.m.