San Marcos, Texas – The Texas State men's basketball team came back from a 51-39 deficit in the second half to have the game tied at 63-63 with 3:33 to go, but Arkansas State was able to hit timely threes, part of 14 made threes on the night for the Red Wolves and come away with a 74-69 victory, Saturday at Strahan Coliseum.

Down 51-39 with 11:18 to go, Texas State started a 22-10 run over the next six minutes. Reid Koenen led the charge, as he scored 12 of his 16 second half points during the run. He mixed in two three-pointers and attacked the rim, going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the second half, part of a 15-for-19 effort overall by Texas State.

The teams traded points as the game was tied 63-63 with 3:33 to go. Following a pair of free throws by the Red Wolves and a missed jumper by Koenen, Arkansas State hit a right corner three to extend the lead back to 68-63 with 2:26 to go. As a team, Arkansas State shot 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from beyond the arc.

For Texas State, freshman point guard Naiel Smith got his first start of the season, and made the most of it, coming away with a season-high five steals and added seven points, five rebounds and four assists. Smith hit a straight-away three at the buzzer going into halftime to put the Bobcats down just 33-27 at the time.

Texas State will now head on the road for its next two Sun Belt games, beginning with Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 4:00 p.m., before heading to Lafayette on Jan. 6.