CONWAY, S.C. – The Texas State women's basketball team (7-6, 0-2 SBC) will make its first Sun Belt Conference roadtrip of the year to play Coastal Carolina (11-2, 1-1 SBC) and Appalachian State (3-10, 0-2 SBC). The Bobcats begin the weekend playing Coastal Carolina (11-2, 1-1 SBC) at 5 p.m. CST on Thursday, Jan. 9. They will resume play at 1 p.m. CST at Appalachian State (3-10, 0-2 SBC) on Saturday, Jan. 11. Both games will air on ESPN+ and Clint Shields has the radio play-by-play call on 89.9 KTSW and txstatebobcats.com.

#BobcatBits

• Twin sister senior guards Brooke and Bailey Holle both place in the top five in SBC steal totals. Brooke is second in total steals (29) and third in steals per game (2.2) while Bailey is fourth in total steals (26) and third in steals per game (2.1). Both have registered a steal in all but one game and Brooke has notched two five steal contests against UTSA and Morgan State.
• Head coach Zenarae Antoine is in her ninth season and has amassed 132 wins. She is the fourth head coach in program history to reach the benchmark and is six wins from tying Linda Sharp (1989-97) for third-most victories in school history.
• Texas State is 4-2 in its Sun Belt Conference road openers. Last year the Bobcats won its league road opener at Georgia Southern, 64-52.
• TXST senior guard Brooke Holle scored a season-high 22 points against Little Rock in the SBC opener. The Austin, Texas native has totaled 842 points in her career and is attempting to become the 19th player in school history to reach 1,000 points.
• On Dec. 30 against Alcorn State, Texas State grabbed 53 rebounds, its most in the last nine seasons.
• Texas State is 6-1 this year when limiting its opposition to 60 or fewer points. Texas State held four non-conference opponents under 50 points for the first time since it held five under the mark in 2006-07.
• The Bobcats recently wrapped up non-conference play this year and finished the last five seasons with a 20-5 mark at home against non-league foes. 

Taylor Enjoying Hot Sophomore Start

• Sophomore guard Kennedy Taylor's 4.9 assists per game lead the Sun Belt Conference. She ranks 48th nationally in assists per game and tied her season-high with eight dimes against Alcorn State. The point guard also ranks third in the conference with a 1.59 assist turnover ratio.
• Taylor has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games and is third on the team averaging 10.3 points per game. She posted a career-best 22 points in the Dec. 4 overtime win over I-35 Rival UTSA.
• Taylor flirted with a double-double against Alcorn State and dropped 16 points, tied her season-high with eight assists and collected a career-best six rebounds. The point guard also set a career-high by draining seven free throws.
• The Dallas, Texas native has been one of the most durable players in the Sun Belt this year and is fourth among conference leaders in minutes played per game (33.5).

Holle Twins Lead the Bobcats in Senior Seasons

• Twin sister senior guards Brooke and Bailey Holley both place in the top five in SBC steal totals. Brooke is second in total steals (29) and third in steals per game (2.2) while Bailey is fourth in total steals (26) and third in steals per game (2.1). Both have registered a steal in all but one game and Brooke has notched two five steal contests against UTSA and Morgan State.
• Brooke is the team's active career leader in points (842), rebounds (466), assists (148) and steals (121). She leads the team in rebounding this year (6.2 rpg) and is second on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg).
• Holle leads the team shooting 82.5% (33-for-40) at the free throw stripe and ranks fourth in the Sun Belt.
• Brooke Holle garnered Sun Belt Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career (Dec. 16).
• Bailey Holle has excelled in her sixth-player role this year and is averaging 25 minutes per game off the bench. She dropped a season-high 11 points on the road at Morgan State while tying a career-high with three triples.
• Bailey completed her undergraduate degree in business administration at the conclusion of the fall semester. She was unable to attend the ceremony due to the Bobcats road game at Dartmouth on Dec. 15 but will receive her diploma in the spring. The Austin, Texas native will wear a Sun Belt Graduate patch on her jersey the remainder of the season and begin postgraduate work to pursue a master's in business administration in the fall semester.

Last Time Out

Texas State fell in its last game at home on Saturday afternoon to Arkansas State, 56-53. The Texas State defense held Arkansas State to a 28% shooting mark from the field, but ASU made 18 of its 22 free throws. Arkansas State's 82% day at the free throw stripe proved to be the difference compared to Texas State's 57% (8-for-14). Junior guard Avionne Alexander scored a career-high 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting and registered five rebounds and four assists. Hood led the team with 14 points. Brooke Holle paced the squad with eight rebounds and collected three assists and two steals. Senior guard Bailey Holle made her first start of the season and played all 40 minutes.

Scouting Coastal Carolina

• The Chanticleers split their first two Sun Belt games of the year on the road and fell at Troy (84-77) and defeated South Alabama (71-62).
• Coastal Carolina has the best overall record in the Sun Belt at 11-2 and is ranked #21 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
• Coastal Carolina is averaging 77.9 points per game which is 26th nationally and second in the Sun Belt. CCU leads the league in field goal percentage (43.9%), field goal percentage defense (33.9%), free throw percentage (72.9) and scoring defense (57.8).
• Sophomore forward Aja Blount leads the team and is second in the league averaging 15.9 points per game. Her 55.6% field goal percentage is also tops in the conference. Senior center Naheria Hamilton pulls down a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game.
• Jaida Williams is in her seventh season as head coach of the Chanticleers and owns a 97-99 record in Conway.

Scouting Appalachian State

• The Mountaineers lost both of their conference games on the road last weekend to South Alabama (81-66) and Troy (84-55). Appalachian State is 3-10 this season and has claimed victories against Mercer (77-68), Wofford (54-51) and Canisius (74-57).
• Junior guard Pre Stanley leads the team scoring 14.5 points per game and last season was named MVP of Appalachian State's Women's Basketball Invitational Championship. Senior center Bayley Plummer is ripping down a team-best 12.3 rebounds per game.
• App State is 12th in the league shooting at a 34.8% clip from the field and is 10th in scoring offense (55.6 ppg).
• Head coach Angel Elderkin is 69-102 in six seasons as the Mountaineers' leader.

Series History

• vs. Coastal Carolina – Texas State leads the all-time series against Coastal Carolina, 4-3, and has won three of the last four meetings. The two teams split last season's pair of games with each team winning on its respective home floor. TXST defeated CCU on Jan. 10, 73-58, in San Marcos while the Chanticleers won in Conway on Feb, 9, 77-70.
   
• vs. Appalachian State – The series is deadlocked with a 5-5 record. The Mountaineers won both of last season's meetings, 70-66 and 73-60. The teams have met at least once every year since 2015 when Appalachian State joined the Sun Belt.

Up Next

Texas State returns home to Strahan Arena and hosts a pair of games. TXST takes on ULM at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16. The week concludes welcoming Louisiana at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18.

Follow the Bobcats

Be sure to follow Texas State on Twitter and Instagram for news and in-game updates about the squad.