Texans Edge Mustangs, 71-65 To Defend LSC Title - Lone Star Conference Skip To Main Content
Patrick Green

Men's Basketball By Nick Eatman

Texans Edge Mustangs, 71-65 To Defend LSC Title

It was only fitting that Tarleton State and Midwestern State met in the finals of the LSC Championship. Not only were they co-champions after the regular season, but it’s the only two teams to ever play in the final game of the tournament since it moved to Allen in 2012.

        And for the second straight year, TSU proved to be a tad stronger, beating MSU Saturday night, 71-65 to defend their title. The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for the Mustangs, which included TSU’s first loss of the season back in January.

        De’Andre Upchurch, the tournament’s MVP, drilled a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down to give the Texans a commanding six-point lead with 19.3 seconds left. Upchurch led all scorers with 27 points and scored 74 points in the three games in Allen.

        Chuck Guy joined Upchurch on the all-tournament team, scoring eight points with five assists and six rebounds. Davene Carter was also selected after posting 12 points and 12 boards. MSU’s Monzaigo Williams and Xaiver Blackburn each made the all-tournament team for the Mustangs.

        Both teams will advance to next week’s South Central Regional tournament and could easily square off again. TSU (27-2) entered the weekend as the No. 2 team in the region, with MSU (22-7) sitting third, setting up a potential semifinal matchup next Sunday.

        But the Texans take a 2-1 lead in the season series, thanks to the hot hand of guards Upchurch and Guy.  The guard duo ignited a 21-5 first-half run by the Texans, who turned an early 17-10 deficit into a 31-22 lead with about five minutes to play in the half. Tarleton led by 10 at the half and led by as much as 12 in the second half before the Mustangs gradually chipped away. They cut the lead to 61-60 with 3:55 left before Upchurch pushed the lead back to the three with a running jumper in the lane.

        DeJuan Plummer hit a layup to cut the lead down to one and then MSU got a rebound and had a chance to take their first lead since halfway through the first half. Williams missed a step-back shot with 1:28 to play and TSU’s Damion Clemons nailed two free throws for a three-point lead. After a turnover under the basket by Eddie D’Haiti, the Texans got the ball back, setting up Upchurch’s clutch shot.

        MSU had two players in double figures with Williams’ 18 points, to go along with nine rebounds. D’Haiti had 13 points and seven boards.

        But the Texans were able to virtually match the Mustangs on the boards, losing the rebounding battle 38-37. 
 
        TSU was able to avenge both of their losses this year in less than 24 hours. The Texans beat A&M-Commerce on Friday night in Allen, just six days after losing the regular-season finale with the Lions. And that loss allowed MSU to share a co-championship.

        Based off the second tiebreaker , TSU was able to remain the No. 1 seed, which proved to be a key aspect. The entire LSC Championship in Allen, including seven games each for the men and women, saw the higher seed win all 14 games.


2014 LSC Men’s Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team
Monzaigo Williams, Midwestern State
Xavier Blackburn, Midwestern State
Chuck Guy, Tarleton State
Davene Carter, Tarleton State
DeAndre Upchurch, Tarleton State (MVP)


Tarleton State Notes
  • The Texans claimed its second straight and third overall LSC Tournament Championship with its 71-65 win over Midwestern State.
  • Two of Tarleton’s three tournament titles have come against the Mustangs.
  • De’Andre Upchurch scored 27 points in the championship game, setting a new mark for most points scored in a LSC tournament game in Tarleton history.
  • The Texans improved to 26-13 overall in the LSC Championship games and 3-7 overall in the championship game.
  • TSU is now 5-3 against the Mustangs all-time in LSC Tournament games.
 
Midwestern State Notes
  • After trailing 1-0 in the first minute, the Mustangs went on a 10-4 run started by two-straight Monzaigo Williams triples and eight solo points.
  • Mustangs drop the season series with TSU 1-2.
  • MSU is now 6-2 all-time in the LSC Tournament finals.
  • Third-straight meeting between the two programs in the LSC Championship game and fourth time in previous five seasons.
  • The Mustangs are 16-3 all-time on neutral courts during LSC Postseason competition
  • Tonight was the 17th game of the season in which Monzaigo Williams scored 15 or more points.
  • The Mustangs had 11 players add points to the scoresheet today while the bench contributed 24 points.
  • MSU shot at least 40% from the 3-point mark for the ninth time this season.