12/10/2005
By Brian Porter , Staff Writer

DALLAS - A score correction and a 16-0 scoring run gave Dallas Lincoln an 18-point swing to open the second half Saturday evening and the Tigers surged away from Plano in a 51-41 victory in a Dallas Hoopfest game at Ellis Davis Jr Fieldhouse.

Joseph Fulce turned in a near triple-double with 14 rebounds, 11 points and six blocked shots, but Plano (7-5) fell to 2-5 against state-ranked teams on the season.

The Wildcats were 7-2 and ranked No. 12 in the TABC Class 5A state poll just seven days ago. The team dropped three straight games to state-ranked opponents this week.

"I'm not into moral victories, not at all," Plano coach Tom Inman said. "We need to get the monkey off our back, now. A three-game losing streak hasn't happened around here in quite a while. We're going to find out a lot about this team."

Plano travels to Dallas Jesuit at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in its final non-district game before opening District 8-5A at Plano West.

Dallas Lincoln, ranked No. 5 in the TABC Class 4A state poll, trailed Plano, 29-23, entering the second half. A 16-0 run and the loss of two points from Plano's score in a correction at halftime led to a 39-29 deficit before John Roberson broke the scoreless streak with 2:15 remaining in the third period.

"We're up six and go down 10," Inman said. "I wasn't expecting us to come out flat like that in the second half."

Lincoln scored just four points in the final five minutes of the second half and Plano took a six-point lead to halftime. Plano led for the final seven minutes of the first half.

"I'm real disappointed for them," Inman said. "We've got to learn to close out games."

Plano led Seagoville, 17-7, in the first period Friday in its other game in the Dallas Hoopfest, but a 20-2 run and later a 19-5 run gave Seagoville, ranked No. 3 in the TABC Class 4A state poll, all it needed for an 86-75 victory.

Plano has played three of the top four Class 4A teams in the TABC state poll and is 1-3 in those games. All five of its losses have been against state-ranked teams.

Holding Lincoln to 51 points was an achievement, but only means something if Plano wins, Inman says.

"You've got to feel we can win nine if not 10 meetings with them if we hold them to 51 points," he said.

"That's old Plano game."

It was the inability to stop and counter scoring runs that cost the Wildcats again Saturday. Inman called two timeouts during the 16-0 run to open the second half. Plano couldn't find a way out of the scoring streak.

"I told the guys there ain't no study to it," Inman said. "You stop them. It was really three runs. We gave them 6-0 and it's tied. We gave them a 7-0 run (before the second timeout) and then a 3-0 run. "The run got them up 10 and we lose by 10."

Lincoln held a 43-33 advantage entering the fourth period. Then Plano began to get defensive stops and narrowed the deficit to 43-39 with 4:12 remaining. Lawrence Mann's jumper with Plano back down 12 was Plano's only points in the final four minutes of the game.

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