Several Bobcats scored in double digits, including senior Brooks Ybarra who led the Bobcats in scoring for the second straight game with 12 points. Freshman Dante Bachus registered 11 points and seven rebounds, and senior Travis Jones had 11 points and five rebounds. Also scoring in double figures was John Bowman and Eddie Rios with 10 apiece.

The Jackets kept it close for the first seven minutes of play, but the Bobcats took a 10-point lead on a three-pointer by Reid Koenen and never looked backed. Texas State went on to outscore Howard Payne 34-8 over the next 10 minutes, with the Jones' duo (Travis and Vonn) netting 12.

The Bobcats used 50 percent shooting and an 89.5 percent performance from the line in the first half to take a 58-17 lead into halftime. Rios led all scorers with eight points, while V.Jones was solid as he was 2-for-2 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to collect seven points.

The second half came out even on the box score with both teams scoring 38 points each. It was Ybarra who netted seven of his 12 points in the second period to spark the offense, but Matt Staff pulled down six boards as the Bobcats eased pass the Jackets 96-55 at home.

Brandon Irwin led Howard Payne with 19 points and four rebounds, as the Jackets dropped their first game of the season.

The Bobcats shot 44 percent (33-75) from the floor and 84.6 percent (22-26) from the charity stripe. The Jackets finished 32.7 percent (16-49) from the floor and 73.9 percent (17-23) from the free throw line.

Texas State will play in the UTPA Tournament this week beginning on the 18^th. The Bobcats will take on Toledo Friday at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, Texas State will face UTPA at 7 p.m., and then close out the tournament on Sunday with a 4:30 p.m. game against USC-Upstate.