SWOSU Rally Falls Short
January 8, 2009
Kendall Smith
SWOSU climbed out of a 16-point hole in the final eight minutes and amazingly had a chance to send the game into overtime. Kendall Smith's three-pointer at the buzzer bounded high off the rim and over the backboard as time expired, allowing the Texans to escape with the hard-fought win.
Kenneth White and Smith, SWOSU top two scorers, came to life in the second half after combining for just one point in the opening 20 minutes. White, who finished with 14 points and Smith with 12, helped spark the Bulldogs charge. SWOSU was down 54-38 when Marlin Cloudy converted a three-point play for Tarleton State with 8:39 to play.
Smith then converted back-to-back treys and White got loose for a couple of hard-driving layups. White's free throws with 4:49 to play completed a 12-0 run that got the Bulldogs to with four points at 54-50.
Tarleton, which improved to 11-3 with the win, regrouped and never allowed SWOSU any closer. TSU hit five-of-six free throws in the game's final minutes to keep its slimmest of leads. Cloudy finished with 16 points to lead TSU in scoring.
SWOSU shot much better in an inspired second half that saw them making 46% of their attempts on 12-of-26 shooting. The Bulldogs finishing total of 37% (20-of-54) was not great but was good considering making just 28% in a 23-point first half.
Tarleton State ended the game making 46% of its shots on 21-of-46 attempts. TSU visited the free throw line 10 more times than SWOSU and used it to a five-point advantage at the stripe.
SWOSU also got solid play from Abdullah Lawal who finished with 14 points, on four-of-six three-point attempts. Lawal led the team in rebounds with seven and steals with five.
SWOSU, now 9-5 on the season, will next play Saturday at home against Midwestern State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.