LAFAYETTE, La. –Texas State (12-8, 5-4 Sun Belt) picked up its fourth consecutive win and helped extend Louisiana's (7-13, 2-7 Sun Belt) losing streak to four games in the 68-59 victory Saturday night at the Cajundome.

In the all-time series vs. the Ragin' Cajuns, the Bobcats secured their first win in Lafayette and they have won the last two meetings in the series despite trailing 3-12.

The Bobcats controlled the game as they led for a grand total of 38 minutes and 18 seconds. Senior guard Nijal Pearson scored seven of the Bobcats first 11 points and the team went into the half with a 37-28 advantage. The Ragin' Cajuns opened the second half with an 8-0 run to pull within one point at 37-36, but sophomore guard Mason Harrell ended it with a triple and sparked a Bobcat 10-0 stretch capped by Pearson's 3-pointer to regain control 47-36. From that point on, the home team trimmed the lead down to just seven points and the Bobcats ran away with it late, holding two separate 17-point leads, the largest in the game.

Pearson scored a game-high 18 points and made four 3-point field goals in the contest. He also recorded four rebounds, three assists and one steal. Small finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and was one rebound shy of a double-double. He also matched a season-high three steals. Harrell rounded out the Bobcats top scorers with 12 points as well, and added three assists and one steal.

Louisiana had three players reach double figures as well. Forward Jalen Johnson matched Pearson's game-high of 18 points, pulled down seven rebounds and had two steals. Forward Dou Gueye and guard P.J. Hardy each turned in 11 points. Gueye also tallied five rebounds and two assists and Hardy had three assists and one block.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Pearson set the tone for the Bobcats early as he scored seven of the Bobcats first 11 points heading into the first media timeout of the game. The visiting team continued to be aggressive as they used a 5-0 run to take a 16-10 lead, and led by as many as 10 points on two different occasion in the half. The Bobcats went into halftime with a 37-28 lead and Small led the way with eight points and six rebounds. TXST shot 41.2 percent from the floor (14-of-34) and outrebounded the Ragin' Cajuns on the offensive boards 7-2.
 
Second Half
Louisiana opened the half with an 8-0 run, but Harrell connected from downtown to stop the run for the Bobcats and sparked a 10-0 run of their own to build a 47-36 lead. Texas State kept the Ragin' Cajuns at bay for the remainder of the game and held its largest lead at 17 points, 66-49 with 4:19 left to play before cruising to its fourth straight victory. 
 
GAME NOTES
• Texas State shot 42.6 percent from the floor (26-of-61) and 32.0 percent from 3-point range (8-of-25), while Louisiana shot 35.7 percent from the floor (20-of-56) and 31.6 percent from 3-point range (6-of-19)
• Both teams shot 100 percent at the free-throw line (TXST 8-of-8, La. 13-of-13) and both teams scored 31 points in the second half. 
• The Bobcats bench outscored the Ragin' Cajuns reserves 20-5. TXST is 11-4 overall and 4-1 in Sun Belt play when its bench outscores its opponent.
• TXST is 8-3 overall this season when leading at the half.
• The Bobcats improve to 8-0 this season when holding their opponent below 60 points (2-0 in conference games).
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Pearson now has 1,917 career points which is tied at No. 13 in the Sun Belt Conference record book with South Alabama's Augustine Rubit (2010-14) and Troy's Jordon Varnado (2015-19).   
• Pearson's fourth rebound tied him with former Bobcat Brandon Bush (2005-09) at No. 10 in program history with 671 career rebounds.
• This was Small's 12th game leading the Bobcats in rebounding, and fourth game scoring 10 or more points this season.
• Harrell recorded his 11th game this year scoring 10 or more points.
• Junior guard Marlin Davis matched a season-high five rebounds and had a team-high four assists in addition to his four points.
• Sophomore forward Alonzo Sule had seven rebounds, including a season-high three offensive rebounds. He also had four points, one assist and one block.  
 
QUOTES
Head coach Danny Kaspar's on the program's first win at the Cajundome…
"Obviously we are pleased with the victory. They [Louisiana] are very banged up right now and we know that, but they have been dangerous in some games this year, including in this building. The guys had a really good trip and I am glad to see this win here as well as the one at Monroe."
 
Kaspar's key factors for tonight's victory…
"I really think Mason [Harrell] and Nijal [Pearson] played great tonight, and also that we defended well because Louisiana did not shoot it well. We played our pace and pretty much controlled the tempo of the game for the majority of the night."
 
UP NEXT
Texas State returns home to face in-state rival UT Arlington at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Strahan Arena.
 
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