Dec. 7, 2004

Box Score

SAN MARCOS - Texas State senior forward Anthony Dill scored a career-high 23 points, knocking down 9-of-10 field goal attempts, as the Bobcats posted a 69-60 win over Utah Valley State to open a three-game home stand Tuesday.

The `Cats improved to 3-2 with the win and play host to St. Gregory's on Saturday. Utah Valley State, in its second season playing at the Division I level, fell to 1-5 with all of its losses coming on the road. The Wolverines begin a four-game home stand of their own Saturday when they take on Oral Roberts.

Bobcat point guard Brad Brickens knocked down a three-pointer to extend a one-point Texas State lead to 53-49 with 7:26 to play and Utah Valley State would not come any closer. Brickens finished with 16 points and in the second half drew the defensive assignment of guarding UVSC's Ronnie Price who finished with 28 points but made just 3-of-13 shots in the second half.

Price was named the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year as a rookie at Nicholls State before transferring to Utah Valley State for his sophomore season

Against Texas State, he was close to unstoppable in the first period, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting including a 4-of-9 performance from three-point range. But with Brickens applying the pressure, Price was 0-for-6 from the floor during the final seven minutes of the game.

As Price was struggling, Zach Allison hit on pair of free throws and Chris Langhorne added a 1-for-2 trip at the line to extend the Bobcats' lead to 56-49. When UVSC's David Heck scored on a short jumper at the 3:47 mark to cut Texas State's lead to 56-51, the bucket ended over an eight-minute drought without a field goal for the Wolverines.

Texas State shot better than 50 percent (27-of-53) from the field for the first time this season while holding Utah Valley State to 34 percent shooting. Bobcat senior Josh Naylor was held to a season-low three-points but had a career-high seven assists and just one turnover in the win. For the second straight game Langhorne led the team in rebounds, pulling down a career-high 10 boards to go with seven points and two assists.

In the first half, Price drilled back-to-back three-pointers to give Utah Valley State a 27-26 lead with 2:41 to play before Dill scored on a pair of field goals on consecutive Bobcat possessions. Texas State led 30-27 when Zach Allison was called for a foul at the buzzer sending UVSC's Josh Cottle to the line with no time on the clock. Cottle made a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game, 30-29 at the break.

Cottle finished with 10 points, including an 8-for-10 performance at the free throw line, for Utah Valley State.