SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State women's basketball team (12-7, 5-3 SBC) stumbled in a loss to Louisiana (10-9, 5-2 SBC), 65-58, on Saturday afternoon inside Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcat offense was stymied for the better part of three quarters and shot just 21-of-68 (30.9 percent) from the floor. Louisiana was more efficient on the offensive end, shooting 22-of-54 (40.7 percent) from the floor.

"I am disappointed for this team," head coach Zenarae Antoine said. "Our offense did not gain traction until late in the second half, and by then, it was too late. We missed too many layups early and we had some good looks that we were just not able to convert. We needed our defense to pick up the slack and, unfortunately, we were not good enough on that end either."

Through three quarters, the Bobcats were on the wrong end of a 45-35 score. Louisiana jumped out to an early lead behind the offensive efficiency of Troi Swain. The LA guard scored 10 first quarter points, allowing the Ragin' Cajuns to take a three-point lead after the first 10 minutes. Swain finished the game with a team-high 19 points.

The Bobcats attempted to mount a comeback in the final stanza behind the energy the Loud Crowd brought to Strahan. TXST was trailing 51-39 at the 7:09 mark in the fourth, before rattling off seven straight points. The run was capped off when Toshua Leavitt tracked down a loose ball and found Brooke Holle sprinting down the court all alone. Holle's layup brought the Cats within five points. Unfortunately, the five-point margin was the closest the score would be for the remainder of the contest.

Taeler Deer led the Bobcat offense for the second straight game, scoring a game-high 20 points. The senior guard connected on 8-of-20 shot attempts and knocked down all three free throw tries. She also chipped in five rebounds and four assists.

The prolonged hot shooting streak of Toshua Leavitt came to an end against the Cajuns. The junior guard struggled to find the range, shooting just 4-of-17 from the floor and 3-of-13 from deep. She scored 13 points in 38 minutes before fouling out in the final minute of the game.

Holle added nine points for the Bobcats, going 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Ericka May and Ti'Aira Pitts each contributed five points. Pitts led the Bobcats with eight rebounds, while May pulled down seven boards.

The Cajun bench, led by Simone Fields, outscored the Bobcat bench, 19-6. Fields added nine points to Louisiana's total. TXST was outrebounded in the game, yielding 44 boards to the 41 grabbed by the home team. Despite the margin, both teams scored 17 points off of offensive rebounds.

The Bobcats hit the road next week, taking on Georgia Southern on Jan. 25 in Statesboro, Ga. and Georgia State on Jan. 27 in Atlanta, Ga. Both games will be broadcast live on the WatchESPN app. Tip against the Eagles is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CDT, while the matchup with the Panthers is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. CDT.
 
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