A combination of balance scoring and timely shooting in the second half helped Tarleton State rally past pesky Texas A&M-Kingsville in Wednesday’s quarterfinal game at Allen Event Center.

The No. 2 seed Texans trailed 28-25 at halftime, but shot 55.2 percent in the second half to score 42 points in a 67-55 victory that sends TSU into Friday’s semifinal round against third-seeded West Texas A&M.

While Tarleton improves to 25-4, the loss ends Kingsville’s season at 12-16 overall.

The Texans had four players in double figures, led by Wes Dippery’s 18 points. Brian Word added 15 points, including 13 in the second half, while Fabian Wilson scored 13 and Chris Harrell added 11.

The Javelinas were led by Ryan Layssard’s 13 points. Robert Williams added 11 and five rebounds.

TSU used its size to muscle past the Javelinas, outrebounding Kingsville 43-21, paced by 11 boards from Wilson. Tarleton nearly had as many offensive rebounds (19) as Kingsville’s total boards. The Texans also held a 32-16 advantage in the paint.

The Texans responded from a three-point deficit at halftime with an 8-1 run to open the second half. Tarleton had another 10-2 run sparked by key jump shots from Word and Harrell, who combined for 25 points in the second half.

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· Tarleton State won all three meetings of the year against Texas A&M-Kingsville, defeating the Javelinas 72-70 in Kingsville on December 7 and also notched a 63-52 win in Stephenville on February 1.

· The 28-25 halftime deficit marked just the sixth time all season Tarleton State trailed at the half. Tarleton State held double-digit leads at the half in the two games against A&M-Kingsville earlier this season. The Texans improved to 4-2 when trailing at the half this year.

· Trailing 29-26 early in the second, Tarleton State used a 14-5 run over 5:13 to take the 40-34 lead at 13:08 of the second half and never relinquished the lead. The Texans then put together a 12-1 run over 4:55 to put the game away, taking a 14-point lead at 59-45 with 3:46 remaining.

· Fabian Wilson notched his sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

· Wes Dipprey finished with 18 points and Brian Word added 15 points, both of which was one point shy of tying their respective season-highs in points.

· Tarleton State improves to 19-12 all-time in the Lone Star Conference tournament, moving into sole possession of fourth for most tournament victories. The Texans’ .612 winning percentage breaks a fourth-place tie with Central Oklahoma.

Kingsville notes

· The Javelinas lost both regular season games to Tarleton State - by 2 in Kingsville (12/7/11) and by 11 in Stephenville (2/1/12).

· TAMUK is now 2-3 with the starting lineup they used in Wednesday's LSC Championship game (Layssard, Ford, Robinson, Bonds, Wallace)

· The Javelinas led, 28-25, at halftime and are now 10-6 when leading at the half this season. It was the first game for TAMUK to lead at the midway point against Tarleton State this year - the Texans had double-digit leads at halftime in both of the regular season games.

· Texas A&M-Kingsville is now 0-2 in games played at a neutral site in 2011-12. The only other neutral-site matchup was a 75-71 loss to UT-Permian Basin played in Laredo in the season-opener on 11/11/11.

· Tarleton State led TAMUK by as many as 14 points at 3:48 in the second half. The largest lead that the Javelinas surrendered to the Texans during the regular season was 17 points in the matchup played in Kingsville on 12/7/11.

· Texas A&M-Kingsville did not have a player get a double-double in any of the games against Tarleton State this season. TSU, meanwhile, had just two players get a double-double in the season series against the Javelinas, including the 13-point, 11-rebound effort by Fabian Wilson in the LSC Championship matchup.

· The 2012 tournament was the 8th time that TAMUK reached the Lone Star Conference Men's Basketball Championships.

"Texas A&M-Kingsville was well prepared for this game and fought hard. They really did a great job."

"I felt like our kids were impatient in the first half. We finally settled in and made some adjustments at the half then got into a flow of the game. We created some shots and started getting a flow going. We really were playing well the last 15 minutes of the game."

"We seniors knew we had to come back. This is all we have left. We knew that (Robert Williams) is a beast and we had to shut him down. It's all one game at a time for us."

"We finally got to moving the ball around for an open shot. I think we were a little tight, but once we settled down and started grinding it, the lanes just seemed to open up."

"The hardest game to play is in the first round. It's always so tough to get through it. It doesn't matter what seed you have, it's a tough round to get through."

"I'm really looking forward to it. They are a good team and we are looking forward to the challenge."

"Every time we play Rick (Cooper) we feel like we're playing a football game rather than a basketball game. It's tough. I know he'll have his team ready and it will be a great game on Friday."

Kingsville quotes

"Thought our guys really came out and fought hard in the first half. Our defense was solid at the start of the second half. Defense fell off for about 5 minutes for a period in the second half. They were able to build up a lead and that was enough to carry them."

"I really don't look at rebounding totals, only offensive rebounds."

"It just seemed like Wes Dipprey was in there all the time, just pounding the glass. They did a good job on the boards.

"I'm still very proud of what our guys did."

"It was a great defensive game. If we executed the way we did in practice, it would have been a different game. We could have executed better."

"We played together more in the first half. We had some problems in the second half. But, we played hard. (In the first half) We were passing up open shots to get even better open shots. "