BOONE, N.C. – A four-game road winning streak came to a close for Texas State (15-10, 8-6 Sun Belt) as Appalachian State (14-11, 8-6 Sun Belt) escaped with a 60-57 victory Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center.

The Bobcats saw their 18-point lead in the first half get trimmed down to five before the break, and despite holding the lead for majority of the half, the visiting team got cold and the Mountaineers closed the game on a 12-2 run, highlighted by junior guard Justin Forrest's 3-pointer from the top of the key to seal the game with 19 ticks left. The Bobcats shot 44.6 percent from the floor (25-of-56), and 35.3 percent from 3-point range (6-of-17). The Cats shot 50.0 percent from the free-throw line with just two attempts.

Sophomore guards Caleb Asberry and Mason Harrell led the team with 11 points each. Asberry matched a season-high three made 3-point field goals and added a team-best six rebounds to his stat line. Harrell was 5-of-8 from the field and had one assist and one steal. Although held scoreless, junior guard Marlin Davis turned in a career-high 11 assists in the loss and had a game-high three steals.

Senior guard O'Showen Williams led the Mountaineers with 19 points and hit four 3-pointers in the game. He also had five rebounds, two steals and one assist. Forrest had 14 points in the game, and led the team with seven assists and five turnovers, while also grabbing four rebounds and picked up one steal. Senior forward Hunter Seacat nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. He also had one assist and one block.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Bobcats were down 15-13 before the visiting team scored eight straight to bring the score to 21-15 by the under 12-minute media timeout. Texas State continued to roll on the other side of the break and grew its run to 24-2, highlighted by a 19-0 burst for a 32-15 score with 6:12 on the clock. Once the Bobcats grabbed its largest lead of the half at 36-18, they went cold and scoreless for the final 3:17 of the period. The Mountaineers took advantage by scoring 13 points in that time span and Texas State went into the half with a 36-31 lead. Asberry led Texas State with eight points and four rebounds, while Davis matched his career-high of seven assists in the first half. Appalachian State's Williams led his squad with nine points. 
    
Second Half
Both teams traded baskets early the half, but William's fourth 3-pointer of the day cut the Bobcat lead to 55-51 and sparked a 9-0 run to give App its first lead 57-55 since halfway through the first half. Small responded with a second-chance basket to tie the game at 57, but Forrest delivered the dagger with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 19.1 seconds remaining in the game. 
 
 TXST GAME NOTES
• It was the Bobcats first loss this season when allowing 60 points or less (9-1). 
• Texas State shot two free-throws in the entire game. They ranked No. 28 in the NCAA entering the game in free-throw attempts.
• Texas State shot 10-of-29 (34.5%) in the second half.
• TXST is 10-4 overall (5-3 in the Sun Belt) when leading at the half.
• The Bobcat bench outscored the Mountaineers 30-2.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• The last time a Bobcat recorded 10 or more assists was when Ojai Black registered 12 against Troy on March 3, 2016.
• Junior forward Isiah Small finished with eight points, six rebounds two assists and one steal.
• Sophomore forward Alonzo Sule also had eight points, three rebounds and a career-high two steals.
• It was Pearson's second game of his career that he has missed.
 
 QUOTES
Head coach Danny Kaspar's initial thoughts on tonight's game…
"It was a tough loss but I was proud of the way we competed without Nijal. We struggled against their [Appalachian State] zone defense so we must get better there. But now we go back home for a big stretch of games so we will put this behind us."
 
Head coach Danny Kaspar's on the free-throw discrepancy…
"The free-throw situation was a bit awkward with us shooting two and them [Appalachian State] shooting 21. I have not seen that very often in my coaching career."
 
UP NEXT
The Bobcats return home for their final homestand of the regular-season. Texas State will take on the top team in the Sun Belt Conference, Little Rock, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13 and have a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday, Feb. 15 vs. Arkansas State at Strahan Arena.  
 
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