Box Score

San Marcos, Texas – The Texas State men's basketball team played stingy defense in the first half, and shot 62.5 percent in the second half, but it not enough as UALR came away with a 63-59 victory, Thursday night at Strahan Coliseum.

Down 60-58, Texas State had the ball with 20 seconds to go. Joel Wright took a dribble handoff and drove down the right side of the lane and laid the ball in the basket, appearing to have tied the game. It was not meant to be, however, as Wright was called for a charge and UALR took possession of the ball and made its free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

The Bobcats played gritty defense in the first half, holding the Trojans to just 13 points through the first 16 minutes of the game, building a 22-13 lead with 3:30 in the first half. From there, UALR clawed its way back to trail just 24-21 at the break.

Phil Hawkins provided the Texas State offense in the second half hitting consecutive three-pointers on back-to-back trips down the floor, which gave the Bobcats a 44-41 lead at the time.

Hawkins ended the game as one of four players in double figures in the scoring column, finishing with 11 points. He was joined for the team lead by Corey Stern and Emani Gant. Wright had 10 in the loss, while freshman Naiel Smith had seven points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Texas State will wrap up its current four-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 4:30 p.m., when it takes on Arkansas State. The game can be heard on 89.9 FM and www.txstatebobcats.com.