JONESBORO, Ark.  –Texas State (8-7, 1-3 Sun Belt) put to rest a four-game losing streak on the road after picking up a close 70-67 win at Arkansas State (10-5, 2-2 Sun Belt) Saturday afternoon at the First National Bank Arena.

With the win, the Bobcats extend their winning streak to eight games against the Red Wolves (8-3 all-time) and secures their first road win in Sun Belt competition this season.

Although Texas State led by as many as 11 points in the second half, Arkansas State battled back to make it a nail-biter after freshman guard Caleb Fields hit a triple from the left wing to cut the Bobcat lead to 64-62 with 59 seconds left to play, and senior guard Canberk Kus followed with a 3-pointer to make the count 66-65 with 14 seconds remaining. However, the Bobcats turned in a .810 free-throw percentage (29-of-36), including a perfect 6-of-6 from the stripe in crunch time during the Red Wolves comeback. In the final minute of the game, junior guard Marlin Davis, senior guard Nijal Pearson, and sophomore guard Mason Harrell each stepped to the line an knocked down a pair of freebies to hold off the home team.

Pearson led all scorers with 23 points (6-of-12) and was a perfect 9-of-9 at the charity stripe. He also finished with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Sophomore forward Alonzo Sule was the only other Bobcat to finish in double figures by scoring 11 points, but Davis along with junior forward Isiah Small, and senior forward Eric Terry each finished with nine points. Small led the team with six rebounds and one block, and Davis joined Harrell and Pearson for a team-high two steals.

Sophomore guard Melo Eggleston led Arkansas State with 15 points (6-of-10) and Fields was held to 13 points on 1-of-5 shooting. Fields was 10-of-16 at the free-throw line and ended the game with five rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Kus had a productive game with 12 points (4-of-9) and knocked down two 3-pointers, both in the second half. He also had four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals, while junior guard Marquis Eaton concluded with 10 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
It was a tightly contested first half that featured six total lead changes. The Red Wolves kept the game close early on due to good free-throw shooting after converting on 5-of-6 attempts in the midst of a field goal drought that lasted over four and a half minutes. The Red Wolves tied the game at 27 with a field goal by senior guard Jerry Johnson with 4:05 remaining in the half, but Pearson responded with a personal 7-2 run and assisted on a triple by Harrell to gain a 37-30 lead. Pearson made another layup with seconds on the clock and the Bobcats went into the locker room with a 41-34 lead after Pearson scored nine of the final 14 points for the visiting team. Pearson had 14 in the half with Sule following with nine points. Texas State shot 59.0 percent from the floor (13-of-22) and held Arkansas State to 33.0 percent shooting (8-of-24), including a 0-of-3 performance from 3-point range.
 
Second Half
The Bobcats started to pull away early in the second half by using a 6-0 run to beef up their lead to 50-39 which was the largest of the game. Although Arkansas State continued to struggle offensively early on by missing its first six field goals of the half, two consecutive Red Wolves' 3-pointers made it a seven-point game at 54-47 and Fields knocked down a late triple to cut the deficit to two points at 64-62 with 59 seconds left. Kus reappeared with another long-ball to bring the score to 66-65 with 14 seconds remaining. Even though the Bobcats' final field goal of the game came with 6:19 on the clock, they were a perfect 6-of-6 at the line when it mattered most to seal the game.
 
 GAME NOTES
• The Bobcats are 6-3 overall this season when leading at the half and 1-2 in Sun Belt games.
• Texas State has shot 80.0 percent or better from the free-throw line four times this season, twice in Sun Belt play.
• Arkansas State shot 35.0 percent from the floor (17-of-48). They are the eighth opponent this season the Bobcats have held to 36.0 percent shooting or worse (7-1).
• Texas State shot 42.0 percent from the field (19-of-45) and 38.0 percent from 3-point range (3-of-8)
• It was the first time this season Texas State tied its opponent in rebounding (34).
• The Bobcats are 5-2 this year when scoring 70 or more points and 8-6 when allowing 69 or fewer points.
• Texas State logged its first win in games decided by 1-4 points (1-2).
• The Bobcats are 3-0 when two players score in double figures (2-7 when three players score in double figures).
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Pearson becomes the third Bobcat to score 1,800 career points (1,801) after scoring 23 points at Little Rock.
• Pearson moves to No. 11 on the program's all-time rebounding list with 646. His fourth rebound put him pass Willie Terrell (1969-71, 644).
• Pearson scored 20-plus points for the sixth time this season (23rd of his career) and has scored in double figures in 15 consecutive games for the first time since Kavin Gilder-Tilbury who had a streak of 19 games (Dec. 23, 2016 – March 4, 2017).
• The Bobcats are 9-1 all-time in games where Sule score in double-digits.
• In his first start this season, junior guard Shelby Adams logged a season-high six rebounds.   
 
QUOTES
Head coach Danny Kaspar's initial thoughts…
"We are very happy with this victory. Nijal [Pearson] had a great trip by scoring 48 points this weekend and that helped us a ton. We have lost two close games on this four-game road trip, so it feels good to get this one. It is a great win for us moving forward as we head home for a few games."
 
UP NEXT
Texas State returns to San Marcos, Texas with three games over a six-day span. The Bobcats week starts with a 7 p.m. game on Monday, Jan. 6 vs. Troy, and then will face Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9. The week will conclude with a 4 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Jan. 11 vs. Appalachian State.
 
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