SAN MARCOS, Texas – A balanced scoring attack as well as a hot shooting first half led the Texas State women's basketball team to an 80-71 victory over Georgia State Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats had three players in double figures led by Ericka May with 19 as the 'Cats improve to 7-5 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
 
How It Happened:
Texas State built a comfortable lead very early in the contest as it outscored Georgia State 25-11 in the first quarter. The 'Cats made their first three baskets of the day, two of which were 3's from senior Raven Burns, to jump out to an 8-0 lead.
 
The Panthers clawed back to make it an 8-6 game with 7:06 to play in the first, but another 10-0 run by Texas State pushed the lead to 12 and it took off from there. In the second quarter, Texas State more than doubled its lead by outscoring the Panthers 29-14 on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor.
 
In the first half alone, the Bobcats went 8-for-13 from long range as they built up a 54-25 halftime lead over Georgia State. Burns matched her previous season-high of 11 in the first half.
 
The Bobcats continued to build upon their lead to go up as many as 33 with just over a minute to play in the third.
 
Georgia State, however, would not back down despite the large deficit that Texas State had created. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers rallied to put together 33 points including a 15-0 run that was snapped by a pair of May free throws with 1:26 to play.
 
After the run, Georgia State cut the Texas State lead to 13 and continued to chip away in the final minute of play. With nine seconds to go, the Panthers hit a 3-pointer to cut the Bobcat lead to single digits for the first time since 4:06 left in the first quarter.
 
Texas State held the lead for the entirety of the contest and as a team, finished the game shooting 41.5 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Who Stood Out:
Ericka May recorded the first Bobcat double-double of the season after scoring a career-high 19 points and snagging 12 rebounds … May has now recorded double-digit boards three times this season and seven in her career … Whitney Apari set a career-high with 15 rebounds and with eight points, she was just two shy of recording her first career double-double … Kaitlin Walla notched double-digit points for the sixth-straight game and eighth time this season as she was second on the team with 15 … Raven Burns tied her career-high of 13 points with three made 3's for the second consecutive game … Taeler Deer recorded a season-high eight assists for Texas State.
 
What It Means:
The Bobcats improve to 7-5 overall and 2-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. This marks the second-straight season that the 'Cats have started conference play 2-0. Texas State is also a perfect 6-0 now on his home floor.
 
Up Next:
The Bobcats will now hit the road for three-straight, beginning with Appalachian State on Jan. 9. Tip-off in Boone, N.C. is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT. Live stats, live audio, and live video will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com. The game will be broadcasted on 89.9 FM KTSW.