Box Score SAN MARCOS, Texas – After getting off to a slow start against I-35 rival UTSA, the Texas State women's basketball team fell in a heartbreaker on Sunday afternoon by a score of 86-83 at Strahan Coliseum.
 
Freshman Kaitlin Walla had a career afternoon for the Bobcats, scoring a career-high 17 points, going 5-for-11 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
 
The Bobcats (2-8) struggled at first getting on the board, allowing UTSA (6-4) to score 11 unanswered points before responding with their first basket with 16:03 left in the first half. Texas State then went on an 8-2 run over the next two minutes to cut the UTSA lead back to five.
 
During the run, Walla scored four of the Bobcat points and would ultimately finish the first half with a floor-high 14 points.
 
UTSA continued to build its lead back up to 10 on various occasions in the first half, but Texas State never backed down. With 5:39 remaining in the first half, Texas State found itself within two at 32-30 after senior Ashley Ezeh made a pair of free throws.
 
Two more times during the first half the Bobcats would cut the Roadrunner lead to two, but UTSA used a 9-4 run in the closing minutes to have a seven-point halftime lead.
 
The second half was more balanced in terms of scoring, as neither team took over momentum of the game early in the half. As Texas State would start to take control, UTSA would promptly answer back to stop any Texas State run.
 
Texas State did, however, start to nip at the UTSA lead in the closing minutes of the game. After being down by six with just 2:44 in the game, Texas State scored the next five points to come within one of the Roadrunners. The 5-0 Bobcat run was capped by a jumper by senior Jasmine Baugus with 26 seconds on the clock.
 
With 21 seconds on the clock, Walla committed a foul that put UTSA back at the line. After a pair of made free throws by the Roadrunners that put them back up by three, the Bobcats were forced to make something happen on offense. With two seconds left on the game clock, a desperation three-pointer by Walla fell short as the Roadrunners made it difficult for the Bobcats to run a play.
 
The Bobcats had four players score in double-digits behind the lead of Walla's 17. Senior Ashley Ezeh recorded 15 points and nine rebounds while Erin Peoples and Baugus added 14 and 10 points, respectively. Baugus also led the team with Ezeh on the boards with nine.
 
Texas State outrebounded the Roadrunners 41-40 and for the first time this season, the Bobcats shot over 40 percent from the floor with a mark of 44.6 percent (29-for-65). The Bobcats finished the game going a season-high 74.2 percent (23-for-31) from the line.
 
The Bobcats will take the next week off before playing host to St. Thomas next Sunday at Strahan Coliseum. Tip-off against the Celts is scheduled for 2 p.m.