HOUSTON – In a fast pace, back-and-forth affair in the small confines of Sharp Gym, the Texas State women's basketball team defeated Houston Baptist on the road by a score of 71-66 Wednesday evening. Kaitlin Walla continued to be an offensive threat for Texas State as she tallied a floor-high 21 points for the victorious Bobcats.
 
How It Happened:
Ten lead changes through the first 20 minutes of play set the tone against the Huskies. Just as one team would take a multi-possession lead, its opponent would answer back. Neither team had any larger than a five-point advantage in the first half of play.
 
Down two in the closing seconds of the second quarter, freshman Kiani Lurry stripped Meghan Shank of the ball and went down to score with a second on the clock to tie the game up at 32-all.
 
The third period, which started in favor of the Huskies with a 7-2 run, proved to be the first time that Texas State would begin to take control of the ball game. With the Huskies up five with 6:10 to play in the third, Texas State rallied together an 18-5 run to close out the third quarter. Taeler Deer, who had not scored at all in the first half, strung together six points including four at the line to help propel the 'Cats into its game-changing run.
 
The Huskies came back with vengeance in the fourth, stringing together a run of their own. Texas State built its lead up to as many as 13, but a 12-0 run by Houston Baptist capped by a pair of free throws by Anna Strickland with 2:28 left in the game quickly saw the dynamic of the game change.
 
Tied up at 62-62 with 1:35 on the clock, Texas State stepped up on defense while forcing Houston Baptist to commit fouls on when Texas State was on offense. The combo of Ayriel Anderson and Kaitlin Walla made the final eight free throws to give Texas State the edge it needed to earn its fifth victory of the season.
 
The 'Cats once again shot well from beyond the arc, draining eight of them at a clip of 57.1 percent. Raven Burns helped contribute to the three-point shooting as she went 2-for-2 for Texas State.
 
Who Stood Out:
Kaitlin Walla led everyone on the floor with 21 points, marking the second consecutive game with at least 20 points for the redshirt sophomore … Walla went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe … Ayriel Anderson posted her first double-digit scoring game of the season with the help of a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the line … Whitney Apari tied her career-high with eight points … she earned her third start of the season Wednesday night … Taeler Deer scored 12 second half points to be the third Bobcat in double-digits … Ericka May grabbed 11 rebounds en route to leading Texas State to 38 total rebounds, edging the Huskies by two.
 
What It Means:
The Bobcats improve to 5-4 overall and have now won the last three. This was also the first road victory for the 'Cats this season. In true road games, Texas State is 1-1. This victory also evened up the series against Houston Baptist to two victories apiece.  
 
Up Next:
Texas State will conclude the 2015-16 non-conference schedule at Missouri on Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena. The game will be broadcasted on the SEC Network +, which is available online if you have the SEC Network on your cable package.