SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State earned its 10th victory in Sun Belt Conference play with a 69-64 decision vs. Arkansas State Saturday afternoon at Strahan Arena. Senior guard
Nijal Pearson led all scorers with 27 points and became the first Bobcat to score 500 points in three consecutive seasons.
The win marks the first time the Bobcats (17-10, 10-6 Sun Belt) have secured consecutive 10-plus victories in conference play (2001-03) and the first time in the
Danny Kaspar era. The Maroon and Gold have won nine straight games against the Red Wolves (15-12, 7-9 Sun Belt) and lead the all-time series 9-3.
"As happy as I was about our defense in the first half, we just flipped it and did not play well in the second half," said Coach Kaspar. "They [Arkansas State] basically played pick-up ball and hit some 3-pointers, going 6-of-9 in the second half. We just did not handle their quick shot offense well at the end. The guys played hard, we outrebounded them and had 15 offensive rebounds so that is a plus. We just have to close out these games better."
TXST dominated the first half in large part due to its defense. The Bobcats opened the game with seven straight defensive stops and later in the half logged eight consecutive stops to help the team build a 31-13 lead at the half. After limiting A-State to 19.2 percent shooting in the first half, the visiting team shot 51.7 percent in the second half, including a .667 clip from 3-point range, and dropped an opponent season-high 51 points against the Bobcats. The Cats, who saw a 20-point lead drop to three in the final stanza was able to hold off the comeback by shooting 42.9 in the half and continued to dominate the glass with a 40-30 advantage, including a 15-10 margin in the offensive rebounds.
Pearson matched his season-high of 11 made field goals (11-of-23) for the third time this year and added seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists in the win. He has now scored 20 or more points in 13 games this season and 30 games total in his career.
Senior forward
Eric Terry finished with 10 points, highlighted by a fast start in the second half where he went 4-of-4 from the field in the first six minutes. Terry added five rebounds two assists, and one block in the win. Although held to five points in the game, junior forward
Isiah Small had a game-high eight rebounds and two blocks to go along with two assists and one steal.
Freshman guard Caleb Fields led the Red Wolves with 19 points and had three assists. Senior guard Jerry Johnson Jr. finished with 14 points, a team-high six rebounds, four assists, and one steal, and junior guard Marquis Eaton rounded out the top scorers with 12 points and had three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Bobcat defense dominated the half as they held the Red Wolves to 19.2 percent shooting and forced 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Offensively the home team jumped out to a 20-4 lead thanks to a 9-0 run capped by Pearson's triple and towards the end of the half, Pearson rose up for a one-handed throw down on the fastbreak to give the Bobcats a 31-13 lead, matching the largest lead of the half. Pearson led all scorers with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and had five rebounds and two steals. Small followed with five points but led the team with six rebounds and two blocks.
Second Half
Terry came out on a mission by dropping eight points on 4-of-4 shooting with 14:51 on the clock. The Red Wolves did not let the Bobcats get too comfortable, however, and made a push with a 10-2 run that trimmed the deficit at 11, 48-37. Although the Bobcats scored a few buckets to keep their lead in double figures, a late 20-6 run by A-State cut the lead to three points at 67-64 with 14 seconds left to play. TXST would hold them off however, after junior guard
Marlin Davis sealed the game with two free-throws.
GAME NOTES
• Texas State extends its home winning streak to four games. They are 12-3 overall at home this season and 6-2 in Sun Belt games.
• The Bobcats have swept four teams in the regular-season series this year (Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, and ULM)
• Texas State shot 42.6 percent from the floor and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line. The Bobcats are now 9-3 in Sun Belt games when shooting over 70.0 percent at the stripe.
• TXST improves to 12-1 overall and 6-1 in league games when outrebounding its opponent.
• The Bobcats are 10-3 in the Sun Belt when holding their opponents below 70 points.
• The Red Wolves outscored the Bobcats 51-38 in the second half and won the battle in bench points 22-13.
• The Bobcats forced 15 turnovers for the second consecutive game. Twelve of the 15 turnovers were in the first half.
• Pearson has scored 10 or more points in 100 games in his career with the Bobcats.
• Terry has scored 10 or more points in seven games this year (24 in his career with the Bobcats)
• Small registered his sixth game this season with two or more blocks.
• Junior guard
Shelby Adams had eight points, five rebounds, and two assists in the win.
• Junior guard
Marlin Davis had six points, a game-high four assists, and two rebounds in the game. Davis has led the team in assists 13 times this year (team-high).
UP NEXT
The Bobcats will conclude the home portion of their 2019-20 regular-season schedule next weekend vs. the Georgia schools. Texas State takes on Georgia Southern at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20 and then Georgia State at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Strahan Arena.
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