MONROE, La. – The Texas State women's basketball team could not maintain a 10-point, halftime lead over the UL Monroe Warhawks and ultimately fell in overtime by a score of 90-84 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats conclude the regular season with a 16-13 overall record and 11-9 mark in Sun Belt Conference play.
 
Texas State was led by junior Ayriel Anderson who matched her season-high with 21 points while knocking down a career-high five three-pointers. She was joined by Taeler Deer (18 points) and Erin Peoples (17 points) as the only Bobcats with double-digit figures.
 
Peoples also finished the contest with a team-high 10 rebounds for a double-double and Deer dished out 10 assists for her first career double-double. Deer was two rebounds shy of a triple-double.
 
After six lead changes in the first four minutes of play, the Texas State offense produced a 19-0 run to take a 27-9 lead with 11:14 remaining to play. UL Monroe answered that run with a 14-0 run of its own to come within four at the 3:19 mark.
 
A lay-up by Anderson with 3:04 left in the first snapped an eight minute scoring drought as the Bobcats finished the half outscoring the Warhawks, 11-5, for a 10-point intermission lead.
 
Texas State managed to maintain its 10-point lead through the first five minutes of the second before the Warhawks began to chip away on their Senior Day at the Bobcat lead.
 
Down one with less than a minute in regulation, UL Monroe took over the lead since early in the first with a lay-up by Sharnice Brooks. Peoples answered by knocking down a pair of free throws to give Texas State a one-point lead with 38 seconds to play.
 
A foul at the 14 second mark sent ULM back to the line down one to Texas State. Daja Chase knocked down the first before missing the second as Texas State had the opportunity to win the game in the final seconds, but could not convert.
 
The momentum in the final moments of regulation carried over into the overtime period for ULM as the Warhawks went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first three minutes of the period. Despite shooting 58.3 percent in the overtime period, the Bobcats fell short of a victory as ULM made 13 free throws on 16 attempts along with 60.0 percent from the floor. All three of the Warhawks made baskets in OT were from three.
 
Texas State finished the game shooting 45.1 percent the floor and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Warhawks outrebounded the Bobcats, 44-42, and outscored Texas State, 18-9, in second chance points.
 
The Bobcats will now enter the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 4 seed and will play No. 5 seed UT Arlington, who earned the No. 5 slot after defeating Appalachian State Saturday afternoon, at 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon in New Orleans, La. All games in the tournament will be broadcasted on ESPN3. For information regarding the SBC Tournament, go to www.sunbeltsports.org.