SAN MARCOS, Texas – Junior Alex Peacock and sophomore Nijal Pearson both set new career-highs in scoring as the duo combined for 55 points in the Texas State men's basketball team's heartbreaking 85-82 loss to in-state rival UT Arlington Friday in Strahan Coliseum on Senior Night.
 
Pearson netted 31 points on 9-of-17 shooting with a 6-for-8 performance on three-pointers and was 7-of-10 at the free throw line. He became the first Bobcat to record at least 30 points in a game since Joel Wright had 32 in the Western Athletic Tournament against Denver on Mar. 14, 2013. Peacock totaled 24 points after making all 10 of his field goal attempts with two treys and was 2-of-3 at the charity stripe. He became the 11^th NCAA Division I player this season make at least 10 shots in a game without a miss.
 
They are the first Texas State duo to record 20 points each in a game since exactly a year ago at Louisiana. That game saw Kavin Gilder-Tilbury and Pearson tally 21 and 20 points, respectively.
 
TXST ends the regular season at 14-17 overall and 7-11 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Mavericks are now 19-12 on the season and 10-8 in conference play.
 
Down by eight with a minute remaining, Pearson pulled up and hit his final triple of the game coming out of a timeout. UTA quickly responded by beating the Bobcat press and getting a dunk from Johnny Hamilton to make it an 80-73 deficit for TXST.
 
The Mavs nearly got a steal the next time down the court but the ball went out of bounds. On the ensuing in-bounds play, Pearson found Tre'Larenz Nottingham in the left corner and the junior unleashed a three-pointer. The Moreno Valley, California native was run into by a UTA player and the ball went through the net. He connected on the free throw attempt for a rare four-point play and make it a three-point contest.
 
Kevin Hervey responded with two charity stripe shots to increase the Maverick advantage to 82-77 with 37 seconds left. Pearson quickly got the ball up court for a quick, long jumper that swished through the net as his foot was on the three-point line.
 
Erick Neal was fouled with 24 ticks remaining on the clock but clanked both of the free throws to keep the Bobcats' hopes alive. Nottingham got a screen from Immanuel King and let go a shot just over the outstretched hands of Hamilton to tie the game at 82 with 14.9 to go.
 
Hervey nonchalantly dribbled up court and converted a 30-foot shot to put the visitors ahead 85-82. Pandemonium ensued as the entire UTA bench stepped onto the court with one player that was in sweats run over other side of the court and embrace Hervey at midcourt before any referee blew a whistle. The refs went to the monitor but issued no technical foul and only set the clock to 0.9 despite the replay showing 1.2 remaining when the ball went through the hoop.
 
Nottingham's last second heave to tie the game just before the buzzer from midcourt was off the mark to end the regular season.


 
Down 4-2 to open the game, Texas State went on a 9-0 run over a 1:36 span that started with a three-pointer by Peacock. The Bobcats would stretch their lead to 26-16 with 9:36 to go that saw Peacock convert back-to-back layups.
 
UTA responded with a 19-6 scoring stretch that lasted 4:44. The only points for the Bobcats were two three-pointers courtesy of Pearson.
 
Seven straight points for Pearson and strong defense allowed TXST to retake the lead 59-35 with 1:27 remaining in the first half. Following a free throw from Nottingham, Hervey hit a trey just before the buzzer to see the Bobcats take a 42-41 lead into halftime.
 
Falling behind by four with 11:12 left on the clock, Pearson converted his fifth three-pointer of the contest as Texas State scored nine straight points to go ahead 62-57.
 
The Mavs answered back with 11 of the next 14 points to go up by three. UTA would eventually stretch its lead to eight, its largest of the game, with 1:09 remaining following a triple from Hervey.
 
His 31-point performance gave Pearson 468 points this season, tied for the 28^th most ever by a TXST player.  He also dished out six assists, grabbed five rebounds and recorded three steals.
 
Peacock finished with four boards, three assists and the team's only two blocks of the game.
 
Nottingham also reached double-figures with 11 points behind three treys and a 2-for-3 performance at the charity stripe. The junior also dished out six assists and retrieved three rebounds.
 
Leading Texas State with seven rebounds was King. Both he and Tyler Blount finished with five points apiece in their final career game in Strahan Coliseum. Prior to the contest Deris Duncan, Blount and King were recognized for their contributions to the program.
 
Next up for the Bobcats is the SBC Tournament that will be held in New Orleans March 7-11. Depending on the outcome of the South Alabama/Georgia State game tomorrow, TXST will either be the ninth seed (USA loss) or 10^th seed (USA win) with the opponent still to be determined.
 
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 Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateMBB and like on Facebook at /TexasStateMensBasketball.