SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State women's basketball team (8-8, 3-1 Sun Belt) will take to the road to duel with two of the Sun Belt Conference's top teams. TXST will open the weekend at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 17 at the Jack Stephens Center for a rematch of the 2018 Sun Belt Championship title game against the Little Rock Trojans (7-8, 3-1 Sun Belt). Following the LR matchup, the Bobcats will head to Jonesboro, Ark. for a 4 p.m. tip on Jan. 19 against the Arkansas State Red Wolves (8-7, 3-1 Sun Belt).

The Bobcats had their season-best four-game winning streak snapped by the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Jan. 12 by a score of 62-49. The loss was the first setback suffered by the Cats in Sun Belt Conference play. Texas State began Sun Belt Conference play with back-to-back road victories for the first time since the 2014-15 season after wins over Georgia Southern, 64-52, and Georgia State, 69-60. TXST followed up the road sweep with a convincing victory over Coastal Carolina, 73-58.

GAME INFORMATION – LITTLE ROCK
6:30 p.m. CST | Jack Stephens Center
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LISTEN: KTSW (89.9 FM) – Clint Shields (PxP)
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GAME INFORMATION – ARKANSAS STATE
4 p.m. CST | First National Bank Arena
WATCH: ESPN+
LISTEN: KTSW (89.9 FM) – Clint Shields (PxP)
FOLLOW: Live Stats

ABOUT TEXAS STATE
Junior guard Brooke Holle has regained her form from a season ago, scoring in double-figures in 10 of the last 11 Bobcat games. She narrowly missed a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds in the victory over Coastal Carolina. Holle also scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss against Appalachian State.

Senior forward Zandra Emanuel is building confidence with every game she starts. In her last five games, Emanuel is third on the team with 8.2 points per game, while averaging a team-best 10.0 rebounds. She has tallied double-digit rebounding efforts in three of the last four games, including a career-high 14 rebounds at Georgia Southern.

Senior guard Toshua Leavitt etched her named in the Texas State record books one more time. After scoring 11 points against Appalachian State, Leavitt found herself in the 10th spot on the Texas State career scoring list with 1,313 points scored during her time in the Maroon and Gold. She leads the Sun Belt in scoring, averaging 18.1 points per ball game. Leavitt is tied for the league lead with six 20-point games and is one-of-four players to tally 30-plus points in a game this season.

With a career record at Texas State of 119-117, head coach Zenarae Antoine is fourth in program history in career victories. She trails Suzanne Fox (174), Judy Rinker (145) and Linda Sharp (138) on the all-time list.

SCOUTING LITTLE ROCK
Texas State and Little Rock played an instant classic in the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship title game. The Trojans carried a 21-point lead with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter. Texas State mounted a furious comeback, outscoring LR 16-6 in the fourth quarter but ultimately fell just short. Little Rock advanced to the NCAA tournament after winning 54-53.

LR head coach Joe Foley and his teams are notorious for their defensive prowess. The Trojans are second in the Sun Belt in scoring defense at 58.6 points yielded per game despite playing a loaded non-conference schedule that included: No. 6 Mississippi State, No. 20 Texas A&M, LSU, Kansas State, and Rice.

Junior guard Kyra Collier leads the Trojans, averaging 14.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per outing. Reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year senior forward Ronjanae DeGray adds 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds a night.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS STATE
The Red Wolves share two common opponents with the Bobcats this season. A-St played at Oklahoma State on Nov. 9 and at Missouri on Dec. 30. Both games resulted in a loss for Arkansas State. At OSU, the Red Wolves held the final possession of the game but fell by a score of 62-60. Missouri handled Arkansas State to the tune of a 70-50 victory.

Arkansas State is led by sophomore forward Peyton Martin. She missed 12 games in an injury-plagued freshman campaign but has bounced back nicely as a sophomore. She is fifth in the Sun Belt, averaging 15.1 points per contest and is tied for the conference lead with six 20-point games this season. Martin pulls down 6.7 rebounds per game.

UP NEXT FOR THE BOBCATS
Texas State will be back inside Strahan Arena for a pair of matchups with familiar faces. Texas State will square off with Georgia State at 7 p.m. on Jan. 24 and Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. on Jan. 26. Both games will be rematches of Texas State victories earlier in the month.

For all things Texas State women's basketball, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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