HOUSTON – Texas State made nine of its first 10 shots, pieced together three scoring streaks of 6-0 or better in the first 20 minutes of play and shot nearly 50 percent; but had to weather a fourth-quarter Houston rally en route to a 61-56 win Wednesday evening inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

Amber Jones scored a career-high 15 points, including eight in the first half, to lead the 3-2 Bobcats on the offensive end. Also scoring double-figure on the night were Taeler Deer and Kiani Lurry with season-highs of 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Bobcats closed the evening shooting a season-best 48.9 percent (22-of45) from the field and 76.5 percent (13-of-17) from the free-throw line.

Houston was led by Serithia Hawkins' 15-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Angela Harris scored a game-high 17. The Cougars, which turned the ball over 21 times, shot 32.8 percent (22-of-67) for the night.

After a sluggish start to the first three minutes of the game, Texas State scored three straight buckets in the paint for a 6-0 lead. Houston closed the Bobcats' lead to 9-7 with a Hawkins jumper, but TXST responded with eight straight points for a 17-7 advantage. The Bobcats built their double-digit lead utilizing a Jones score in the paint, two Deer layups and a mid-range jumper by Lurry.

Bailey Holle opened the second quarter scoring with her first career 3-pointer, giving the Bobcats a 20-7 lead. Texas State continued to score and force five Houston turnovers as the Bobcats' lead swelled to as many as 19 on Toshua Leavitt's 3-pointer from the left wing with 2:21 to go before the break

Points were at a premium in the third quarter as the teams combined to shoot 3-of-27 from the field and commit 17 turnovers. However, despite the frantic play by both teams, Texas State exited the quarter with a 43-29 lead on the scoreboard.

Houston's Angela Harris scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to trim TXST's led to 43-33. The Cougars would get no closer as Jones scored twice, Leavitt lifted in a scoop shot and Lurry knocked down her second trey of the game as part of a 9-2 run that left Texas State ahead 52-35 with 6:03 to play. Texas State would not score from the field over the final 5:09 as Houston outscored the Bobcats 19-7 the rest of the game with each of Texas State's final seven points coming at the free-throw line.

Texas State next plays at I-35 rival UTSA on Thur., Dec. 1. Texas State holds a 33-31 edge in the all-time series against the Roadrunners, including victories in each of the series' last two meetings.