SAN MARCOS, Texas – Junior Nijal Pearson scored a game-high 19 points to move up to 21^st on the Texas State men's basketball scoring list Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats (2-1) fell in a battle to Drake (2-1) 75-69 in the Knapp Center.
 
Pearson finished 7-of-15 from the field with two made three-pointers and was 3-for-4 at the free throw line. The junior also had three rebounds, two steals and one assist.

"It was a disappointing loss in that we did not come out and play with the energy and intensity that we had done in the first two games," said head coach Danny Kaspar. "If we are going to be a good basketball team we have to overcome adversity and come play 40 minutes."
 
Drake maintained a lead from the onset until Pearson knocked down a three-pointer from the left wing to knot the score at 7-7 with 16:01 left in the opening half. The triple was the 100^th made in the Beaumont, Texas native's career.
 
TXST was able to tie the game up twice more with last being at 13-13 following a jumper by Mason Harrell at the 10:27 mark. The Bulldogs would then go on a 16-5 run over the next 5:25. Pearson ended the run with a trey from the top of the key.
 
Hot shooting by Drake allowed it to take a 44-30 advantage into the halftime break. The hosts connected on 57.1 percent of their shots and were 7-of-10 at the free throw line while the Bobcats converted 43.3 percent from the field and only attempted three free throws.
 
The Bulldogs scored the first five points of the second half to stretch their lead to 19. Alex Peacock grabbed an offensive board and put it back in for the first points of the period for the Bobcats. TXST would force four steals over the next five Drake positions and counting Peacock's layup go on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to 49-42 to force a Bulldog timeout with 14:42 on the clock.
 
With 7:31 left on the clock, Jaylen Shead was able to beat the shot clock and get a layup to fall to make it a six-point contest. Back-to-back buckets by Chandler Davis followed by a slam courtesy of Peacock brought the Bobcats to within 65-63 with just under five minutes to play.
 
Drake extended its lead to seven before Tre'Larenz Nottingham knocked down his second three-pointer of the game. Two free throws by Pearson with 57.3 left on the clock pulled the Bobcats to within two.
 
The Bulldogs were able to break the press after the charity stripe attempts and get an old-fashion three-point play. After trading free throws, Nottingham fired up a triple that rattled in and out that would have made it a one possession game.
 
Both Davis and Nottingham ended the contest with 10 points with Davis going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Peacock just missed a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. He also set a career-high with four steals.
 
As a team, Texas State recorded 13 steals led by Peacock. Both Jaylen Shead and Nottingham recorded three steals apiece.
 
TXST was 28-of-61 from the field with only five treys. The Bobcats did hold a slight edge in rebounding (32-31) with 12 of the team's total coming on the offensive end.

"We have to play better defense. We gave up too much penetration and didn't rotate on the penetration" Kaspar said. "We also showed selfishness in some of our shot selection and have to think more about winning as a team."
 
Next for Texas State is the remaining three games of the Portland Classic beginning on Wednesday with a 6:30 p.m. CST contest versus Cal Poly.
 
For more information on the Texas State men's basketball team, visit the official website of Texas State Athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, like on Facebook at Texas State Men's Basketball and follow on Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateMBB.