Clutch Baskets Lift Tarleton To LSC Championship - Mar 10, 2013

The fourth time was the charm for Tarleton State.

After three straight losses in the LSC Championship final, the Texans finally got over the hump Saturday night with a 53-50 win over No. 1 seed Midwestern State at the Allen Event Center.

The Texans (20-9) claimed their second LSC tournament title and first since 2004 and earned an automatic berth to the South Central Regional tournament next week. The Mustangs fall to 21-8 but were ranked third in last weeks rankings.

In a chippy and physical back-and-forth contest from start to finish, the Texans got a big 3-pointer from DeAndre Upchurch to cut MSUs four-point lead to 1 at 48-47 with 3:13 remaining.

After both teams exchanged two free throws each, Chuck Guy (5'10''-PG-92) came up with a steal and then assisted Coleman Furst (6'1''-G) for a go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner with 1:11 remaining.

The Texans got a big block from Jon Cathey-Macklin (6'9''-F) and later altered a missed shot in the final seconds.

Guy was named the tournaments MVP with a solid three-game performance this weekend. He had 16 points Saturday night despite 5 of 22 shooting. Upchurch had 11 off the bench. Jon Cathey-Macklin had seven rebounds and five blocks and was a force in the paint. Furst and Cathey-Macklin joined Guy on the All-Tournament team.

Corbin Thomas (6'6''-F-91) scored 14 points and had 12 rebounds for the Mustangs. Eddie Dhaiti (6'8''-F) had 10 points. Kevin Grayer (6'3''-G) scored eight. After scoring 33 in Wednesdays quarterfinal, Grayer finished the tournament with just 17 points combined in the next two games. Thomas and Grayer were both named to the All-Tournament team.

The Mustangs led 29-25 at the break but the Texans used a 12-3 run to open the half to lead 37-32.

MSU would storm back and things would remain close for the duration of the game, with no team leading by more than four.

Tarleton State was 2-5 at one point this season in LSC play with four straight losses, including a 50-34 loss to these Mustangs. But the Texans reeled off six straight wins and have now won 12 of 15 games.

The Texans are now 2-7 all-time in LSC Championships. The Mustangs were denied their fourth LSC Championship in the last six seasons.

Saturday night's game marked the 14th meeting between these two teams in the last four seasons. Midwestern State leads the series, 8-6, and in those 14 games the teams are separated by a grand total of five points (868 for Tarleton State and 863 for Midwestern State) or an average score of 62.0-61.6 in favor of the Texans.

Courtesy of LSC

LSC Tournament Final: Tarleton State - Midwestern State 63-50
LSC Tournament Semifinals:
Tarleton State - West Texas A&M 66-48
Midwestern State - Incarnate Word 85-73

All-LSC 1st Team 2012-2013
#s#	Foster	Thomas	Rucker	Guy	Blackmon	#e#5