STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Interstat) — Tarleton State opened its men’s NCAA Division I basketball season with an 86-60 victory over non-divisional opponent Cameron on Monday at Wisdom Gym. The Texans moved to 1-0 before 2,389 at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, Texas. Tarleton State led 45-34 at halftime and pulled away after Cameron threatened early in the second half. The Texans’ decisive stretch came after the break, when they answered a Cameron surge with a run that turned a five-point lead into a comfortable cushion.

The Texans set the tone immediately by scoring the game’s first seven points. Jac Mani opened with a layup, Leroy Kelly followed with a 3-pointer and another layup, and Ethan Carter added a free throw as Tarleton State raced to an early advantage. Cameron answered with a Jaden Juarez layup, and the visitors gradually found some rhythm behind Isaiah McLemore and Brodie Mcwhinney. McLemore made a 3-pointer and scored on a layup, while Mcwhinney produced a layup, a 3-pointer and another layup to help Cameron stay within striking distance. Tarleton State kept answering. Jac Mani converted free throws and later a 3-pointer, Kade Douglas hit from beyond the arc, Franck Emmou made a jump shot and a 3-pointer, and Brett Freeman scored on a pair of layups. Ethan Carter also made a dunk and a tip-in dunk, while Trey Harris and Leroy Kelly scored inside. Cameron’s Brennen Byrd made free throws and a layup, Arzhonte Dallas added free throws, and Kelen Smith scored on a layup. Jonathan Mercera’s jumper closed the first-half scoring, but Tarleton State still carried a 45-34 lead into the break. Tarleton State scored 45 points in the first half and 41 after halftime, while Cameron scored 34 before the break and 26 after halftime.

Cameron made its push at the start of the second half when Aaron Gashaw and Isaiah McLemore hit 3-pointers to trim the deficit to 45-40. The decisive stretch came over the next several minutes. Brett Freeman hit two jumpers and a layup, Jac Mani added a layup, Trey Harris scored inside and Franck Emmou capped the run with a layup. That surge pushed Tarleton State’s lead to 57-44. Cameron’s Isaiah McLemore made another 3-pointer to stop the run, but Tarleton State answered again. Brett Freeman stayed active in the offense, Jac Mani kept scoring around the basket and Tavaj Cope’s alley-oop dunk pushed the Texans’ lead to 76-52. Tarleton State maintained control from there. Cope added another layup, Mani scored again, and Leroy Kelly finished a layup late. Cameron got a layup from Kelen Smith and two free throws from Jonathan Mercera, and Sergej Jakovljevic closed the scoring on a layup. Tarleton State finished with a 26-point margin.

Leroy Kelly led Tarleton State with 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes. The Dallas product and former Dynamic Prep guard also hit two 3-pointers and scored on a layup during the early burst. Tavaj Cope added 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 29 minutes. Jac Mani finished with 17 points, five rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes. Ethan Carter contributed 13 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. Brett Freeman had 12 points, three rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes. Kade Douglas chipped in three points, four rebounds, three assists and one block in 26 minutes. Franck Emmou added nine points, one rebound and five assists in 20 minutes. Trey Harris had six points, five rebounds and one block in 19 minutes. Caeden Hutcherson played six minutes, and Matyas Vrabel had one rebound in two minutes.

Tarleton State scored 86 points from 79 possessions, an offensive rating of 108.8. The Texans had seven offensive rebounds, 10 assists, four blocks, 12 turnovers and 14 fouls. Cameron got 3-point shooting from McLemore and Gashaw but could not sustain its second-half rally. The Texans’ depth and balanced scoring wore down Cameron after the visitors had pulled within five early in the second half. Tarleton State’s defense and rebounding helped keep Cameron from mounting a longer run, and the Texans closed the game with steady execution on offense.

Tarleton State’s next 10 games, in order, are at San Diego, home against UT Dallas, home against Alcorn State, at Drake, at Southern California, at Weber State, at Texas Southern, home against Randall, at Pittsburgh and home against UNT Dallas. No projection, game simulator, point spread, betting line or over-under information was provided.