Women's Basketball | 11/30/2016 12:54:00 PM
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State University women's basketball renews rivalry with UTSA Thursday evening. The game 65th edition of the I-35 rivalry is set for a 7 p.m. opening tip at the Roadrunners' Convocation Center.
Scene Setter
• Texas State plays its sixth game of the season and second of three straight road games when the Bobcats make the trip down I-35 to face rival UTSA.
• The Bobcats are 3-2 on the season and average 58.8 points per game, while limiting opponents to 57.2.
• Each of the Bobcats' 11 2016-17 nonconference foes are located in Texas. The Bobcats are 15-7 against Texas-based universities since the 2014-15 season, including 3-2 this year.
• Texas State enters the game coming off a 61-56 win at Houston last Wednesday (Nov. 23). UTSA improved its record to 2-5 with its 71-68 win over Abilene Christian on Tuesday.
TXST vs. UTSA
• Texas State and UTSA have met 64 times on the hardwood with the Bobcats holding a 33-31 series advantage.
• The programs have played at least once a year every year since the rivalry began on Nov. 23, 1981.
• Texas State owns a two game win streak in the series, defeating the Roadrunners 57-53 in 2014 and 72-64 last season.
• Zenarae Antoine is 3-4 in her head coaching career against UTSA.
Last Time Out For the Bobcats
• 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 (Nov. 23) inside Hofheinz Pavilion.
• Amber Jones scored a career-high 15 points, including eight in the first half, to lead the Bobcats on the offensive end. Also scoring double-figures 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.
Career Day For Jones
• Amber Jones turned in the game of her Bobcat career in leading Texas State to its road win at Houston (Nov. 23). Jones, who made her first start since suffering a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 15, 2015, set career highs in points (15), field goals made (6), field goals attempted (7), free throws made (3), free throws attempted (4) and minutes played (34).
• She scored four of the game's first six points, staking TXST a lead it would never relinquish. She later scored four points in a 9-2 run at the start of the fourth quarter to provide the Bobcats with a large enough cushion to endure the late Houston run.
Getting Defensive
• Texas State ranks as the second-best defensive team in the Sun Belt Conference through games played Nov. 29. The Bobcats are holding their opponents to a 57.2 points per game, ranking behind only Little Rock's 54.1 for tops in the league.
• The Bobcat defense has been particularly good in the first and second quarter as they are limiting opponents to only 12.6 and 12.2, respectively, in the opening two stanzas.
50 Percent Post Shooting
• Post players Ti'Aira Pitts and Amber Jones are each making the most of their touches in the paint. Both are shooting better than 50.0 percent from the floor with Pitts making 12 of her 23 attempts (52.2 percent) and Jones 13 of her 21 (61.9 percent).
Bobcats In The Sun Belt Rankings
• Texas State ranks in the top half of the Sun Belt Conference in 11 of the league's 21 key statistical categories. The Bobcats' top two statistical categories are scoring defense (57.2 ppg) which ranks second and assists (12.6 per game) which ranks third in the league.
