Box Score
San Antonio, Texas – Texas State grabbed a 66-52 win over I-35 rival UTSA today at the Convocation Center in San Antonio to earn its fourth straight victory. Today's win keeps the Bobcats in the hunt for a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament. The Bobcats improve to 13-15, 5-9 in the conference, while UTSA is now 16-13, 8-6 in league play.
Matt Staff was 11-for-14 from the floor, as he led Texas State with a career-high 28 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals. Brooks Ybarra added 17 points and seven rebounds. Texas State shot 40.3 percent from the floor. Travis Jones had seven points, eight rebounds and three assists.
The first six minutes of the second half was all Staff. He recorded 11 of the Bobcats 13 points, including three treys to help the Bobcats to their first double digit lead of the game at 42-32.
Texas State was shooting lights out from three-point range as the Bobcats hit six treys over the next ten minutes to take a 61-49 lead with a little over three minutes remaining in the game. UTSA switched to a full court press in an attempt to slow down the Bobcats, but Vonn Jones added to Texas State's three-pointer tally with a basket of his own to extend its lead to 64-49. There was nothing else the Roadrunners could do to keep the Bobcats from coming away with a 66-52 victory over UTSA on the road.
Texas State began the game on a 7-0 run after a put-back from Ybarra, a jumper by Staff and a triple by Vonn Jones got the Bobcat offense started. UTSA would then get a spark of its own as it went on a 10-0 run, before a three-pointer by Ybarra snapped the run. Both teams traded points throughout the period, but it was UTSA who entered the half with a 27-26 edge.
UTSA was led by Jeromie Hill who had 14 points and seven rebounds. Stephen Franklin added 10 points off the bench.
Texas State returns home next week to San Marcos to host Lamar on Feb. 29 and Sam Houston State on Mar. 3 at Strahan Coliseum.
Notes: Bobcat starters for tonight… Vonn Jones, John Bowman, Travis Jones, Brooks Ybarra and Matt Staff started for Texas State for the third straight game … Today's win is the fourth in a row and third straight road win … Matt Staff recorded a season-high 28 points … Staff's two blocks today ties him for seventh all-time with 53 career blocked shots … John Bowman played in his 118th career game to tie for No. 1 all-time.
