SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men's basketball team defeated Southeastern Oklahoma State 62-41 in an exhibition game Saturday afternoon in Strahan Coliseum in front of 1,439 fans.

Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the early stages of the game. It took nearly four minutes before the first points were scored when Nijal Pearson put back a missed layup from Bobby Conley. Pearson ended up scoring seven of the Bobcats' first nine points as the team went on a 17-1 run.

The Savage Storm had to wait until the 8:15 remained on the clock to make their first basket. SEOSU eventually cut Texas State's lead to 23-18 with just under 90 seconds until halftime.
 
Maljhum McCrea answered with a layup for the final bucket of the period with 28 seconds remaining. A jumper and put back slam by McCrea and a three-pointer by Conley from the right corner as the Bobcats scored nine straight.
 
A three-pointer from Tyler Lonzie snapped the run by Texas State. Unfortunately for the visitors, that was as close as they would get the rest of the game. The Bobcats took their largest lead of the game, 62-36, when Courtney Julien made the second of two free throw attempts.
 
Pearson led all players with 14 points as he made 6-of-10 shots and was 2-for-5 from beyond the arc. McCrea added a double-double of 10 points and rebounds. Conley contributed eight points with two made treys and recorded a game-high four steals.
 
Texas State opens the regular season on Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii against Florid Atlantic for the opening game of the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic. The game will tip at 9 p.m. CT and be played at the 'Iolani School.
 
Season tickets are currently on sale for the 2016-17 basketball season. They can be purchased online at www.txstatebobcats.com/tickets, over the phone at 512-245-2272 or by visiting the Mark and Linda Smith Ticket Office at Bobcat Stadium between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Individual game tickets will go on sale to the general public on November 1.
 
For the latest on Texas State men's basketball, visit the official website of Texas State athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, follow the team on Twitter at @TxStateMBB and like on Facebook at /TexasStateMensBasketball.