Nov. 30, 2007

Final Stats

Prairie View, Tx. - Brandon Bush and Brent Benson led the Bobcats with 19 point performances as Texas State squeaked by Prairie View A&M Thursday night in a 79-78 victory to close out its four-game road swing.

The Bobcats shift to a 5-1 record after the win, dominating the series record with Prairie View, 7-3. The Panthers drop to 2-4 with the loss.

A steal by Brandon Thomas at 18:06 sparked the Texas State offense for a 10 point run. The Panthers came within two, 14-12, almost five minutes later, but the `Cats were able to hold off the fury. After a back-and-forth exchange of points between the two teams, a Bobcat steal found Chris Agwumaro in an open backfield for a slam dunk to put the `Cats on a seven point run, exiting for half-time boasting a nine-point lead, 43-34.

Taking advantage of a home-court crowd, Prairie View rallied back against the `Cats in the second half. PV put up a quick two points and continued to showcase throughout the half, sinking 16-29 shots. Freddie Edo scored at 11:30 to tie the game 58-58, and the tension grew.

With less than a minute remaining in the game, Prairie View truly tested the `Cats when Derek Johnson drained a three-pointer for PVAMU to place them up by one, 77-78. On a fast break, Bush drove the lane unsuccessfully, only to be followed by Cameron Johnson with the put-back for the game winning field goal.

The Bobcats shot 47 percent from the floor as four ballers posted double digit points. Thomas added 12 for the `Cats and Ty Gough finished with ten. Bush pulled down a team-high six boards in the victory, in addition to scoring 19 points. Benson's 5-7 three-point performance contributed to his team-leading 19 points, as well.

Brian Ezeh led the Panthers with a double-double performance of 23 points and 13 rebounds. Edo followed with 15 points and Johnson added 13 for PVAMU.

Texas State, riding a three-game winning streak, will host the Rice Owls on Dec. 5. The Wednesday decision is slated for a 7 p.m. start.