Tarleton State University’s men’s basketball team suffered an 82-67 defeat at the hands of California Baptist University on Saturday, despite a strong scoring performance from Dior Johnson off the bench. The loss concludes the Texans’ final road trip of the regular season.
Johnson led Tarleton State with 24 points, shooting 7-for-17 from the floor and nearly perfect from the free throw line, making 10 of 11 attempts. Chris Mpaka contributed 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Freddy Hicks added 11 points.
California Baptist started the game with a 9-0 run and maintained control throughout, leading by as many as 18 points in the first half. Tarleton State attempted to close the gap with a pair of 7-0 runs, but California Baptist responded each time, taking a 40-29 lead into halftime.
The Texans briefly narrowed the deficit to single digits in the second half, but California Baptist consistently extended their advantage. A late 8-1 run by Tarleton State brought the score to 68-59 with 6:25 remaining, but the Lancers ultimately closed out the game, securing an 82-67 victory.
Tarleton State won the rebounding battle 38-33, but committed 17 turnovers compared to California Baptist’s 9. The Texans scored 53 bench points, the most since January 15th against Southern Utah.
The Texans will return home to Stephenville to face UT Arlington on Thursday, March 5th, at 7 p.m. CT. The game, to be broadcast on ESPN+, will similarly be available on the Varsity App and on local radio stations 102.5 FM and KTNO 620 AM. Prior to the game, Tarleton State will honor its five graduating seniors.
