Nov. 29, 2008

Final Stats

El Paso, TX - An offensive surge came a little too late for the Texas State Bobcats Saturday night and despite outscoring tournament host UTEP in the second half, the Miners avoided a the loss by holding off the Bobcats for an 85-74 win at the at the 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Classic.

The Bobcats end their season-opening six-game road trek with a 2-4 record, while the Miners shift to an even 3-3 with the win.

Texas State's successful formula began to show up after a 22-point lead from UTEP emerged at the 7:42 mark on a three-pointer from Sviatlana Trukshanina. Trukshanina was one of three Miners to finish in double digits, posting 20 points in tonight's game, including four from beyond the arc.

The crushing lead was cut by two with a jumper from Chika Ofoegbu and points from four of the `Cats starting five gave Texas State a fighting chance with a 75-64 score.

The `Cats continued to claw its way back into the game, but UTEP never left the court open for unanswered points. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, junior Aimee Hilburn went strong to the basket for two points and the foul, a three-point play that would bring the Bobcats within eight.

Down 79-71, Ashley Cole kept the pace, drew a foul and was sent to the stripe, sinking one of two free throws to put Texas State within seven with 1:51 remaining on the clock. The margin would be the closest Texas State would come to taking the lead.

Texas State fought back from a 46-27 halftime deficit to post the 47-point comeback. For the game, Texas State shot 52 percent from the field over UTEP's even 50. On the boards UTEP led the way, outrebounding Texas State 34-30. The Miner's capitalized on the feat posting a 28-13 margin in second-chance points over the `Cats.

Kim Cessna led all Bobcats with 22 points and seven rebounds. Cole and Hilburn chipped in 17 and 10 points respectively. More than half of the trio's tallies came in the second stanza.

For UTEP, Briana Green led the way with 21 points and alongside Trukshanina, Brittnay Jones recorded a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Texas State's next appearance on the court will be December 3 in its 2008-09 home opener against Paul Quinn slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.