MOBILE, Ala. – The Texas State women's basketball team overcame an 18-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat South Alabama by a score of 73-71 Thursday afternoon. The Bobcats trailed by 18 with 8:00 to play in the third quarter before outscoring the Jaguars 42-24 in the final 18 minutes of action.
 
How It Happened:
South Alabama jumped out to a 27-15 early lead in the first quarter behind 71.4 percent shooting from the floor and four made 3-pointers. The Bobcats stayed within reach by making 10 trips to the charity stripe and converting on eight of them.
 
The hot shooting by South Alabama cooled off in the second quarter, but Texas State was unable to cut the deficit as each team scored 11 points for the period.
 
A 4-0 run by the Jaguars out of intermission granted the home team an 18-point edge over the visiting Bobcats. A 3-point play by Raven Burns with 7:22 to play in the third sparked a 12-3 Texas State run to cut that 18-point deficit into nine with 4:49 left in the period.
 
The Bobcats continued to chip away at the South Alabama lead in the closing minutes of the third. With just over a minute to play in the third, Ayriel Anderson drained back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the Jaguar lead to three for the first time since the 7:22 mark in the first quarter.
 
Texas State proceeded to make six out of the first seven buckets in the fourth quarter to take a six-point, 64-58 lead over South Alabama. The Jaguars continued to put up a fight against the Bobcats, but the 58-58 tie would prove to be the final tie of the ball game as the end went in favor of Texas State.
 
The Bobcats went 9-for-15 in the final quarter of play and 4-for-8 from long range in the second half. Texas State continually put the Jaguars in foul trouble as the Bobcats took 26 trips to the line including 10 times in the first and third quarter.
 
The Jaguars outrebounded the Bobcats, 37-36, and outblocked the 'Cats 4-2 in the contest.
 
Who Stood Out:
Ayriel Anderson drained three, 3-pointers in the final 11:24 of the game to score a season-high 13 points … Taeler Deer shot 5-for-8 in the second half to lead Texas State with 14 points … Kiani Lurry recorded her second-straight double-digit scoring game with 13 … Kaitlin Walla and Raven Burns also scored in double-digits for the 'Cats with 11 and 10, respectively … De'Jionae Calloway and Anderson led the team with six rebounds … Deer also led the 'Cats with three steals.
 
What It Means:
Texas State improves to 8-6 on the year and 3-1 in Sun Belt Conference play. Since joining the league in 2013, Texas State is a perfect 6-0 against South Alabama including 3-0 at the Mitchell Center. The Bobcats are now 2-1 on the road in the last three games.
 
Up Next:
The Bobcats will travel up the road to Troy to conclude the road trip Saturday afternoon. Tip-off against the Trojans is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Trojan Arena. Live stats and live audio will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com as well as 89.9 FM KTSW with Brant Freeman on the call.