Box Score

San Marcos Texas – Clutch free throws helped the Texas State (4-2)  men's basketball defeat visiting Northwestern Oklahoma State (3-4) today, 74-72, at Strahan Coliseum. The game was an up-and-down rollercoaster ride for the teams, but the Bobcats came out on top to preserve their 13-game home win streak.

Brooks Ybarra had 13 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Matt Staff had 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks to lead Texas State. Reid Koenen added 11 points and four rebounds.

Texas State went on a 15-6 run to end the first period, as it entered halftime down, 33-30. The Rangers jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game and increased their margin to 19-7 thanks to 7-for-10 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-3 shooting from the charity stripe. NWOSU's largest lead of the half was 14 points with just less than nine minutes to go in the period. The Bobcats battled back and slowly chipped at the Rangers lead as the game went on. Ybarra drained a three-pointer with time expiring to end the half.

The Bobcats turned it on in the second half to edge the Rangers in scoring, 44 to 39. The difference maker was the 25 made free throws by Texas State in the second half, compared to the 12 for NWOSU.

A three-pointer by Ybarra with 12:29 on the clock gave Texas State its first lead of the game. Both teams traded points, but NWOSU's last lead of the game would come at 2:05 after a pair of made free throws by Daryl Glover put the Rangers up by one. From then on, the Bobcats would see the free throw line frequently.

The Rangers were able to cut the game to two after a layup by Jonathan Freemyer with 10 seconds left, but Texas State kept its lead after trips to the free throw line. Vonn Jones made four free throws down the stretch, as the Bobcats were 8-for-10 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes of play. Texas State went on to win 74-72.

The Bobcats shot a season-low 39.6 percent from the floor, while the Rangers shot 45.6 percent.

Texas State returns to the court on Saturday, Dec. 3 to host Houston Baptist. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.